Painful Memories
by eme287
Summary: She managed to keep it secret but what happens when Amita has to relive the event of one night five years ago. What can Charlie do to help her move on? Takes place after “Undercurrents.” CharlieAmita romance.
1. Chapter 1

There were several reasons why she kept pushing him away. She was scared for starters. She knew how Charlie felt about her. How much he cared about her. He had showed her that when he tried to kiss her last night, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't kiss him back even though she wanted it more than anything. Even though she always dreamt of it. She walked out of there leaving a devastating Charlie alone trying to figure out what he had done wrong. The truth was he hadn't done anything wrong. It was her fault, not his. Before she let him be her friend and before she fell in love with him something happened to her. Something she never told anyone. Letting Charlie in meant she had to reveal one of her biggest secrets. She couldn't do it and she definitely didn't want to.

Amita was sitting alone in her apartment. Her hand found its way underneath the black T-shirt she was wearing and she closed her eyes when she felt the end of the big ugly scar she had on the side of her stomach. The scar was a constant reminder of that horrible night five years ago when she not only lost her best friend but her life. A single tear fell down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand. She wasn't going to do this again. She wasn't going to become one of _his_ victims.

Amita still went to the cemetery. Silently asking for the forgiveness she thought she never could deserve. Someone still put flowers on her grave every day of the week. Amita guessed it was her parents. Julie's death was hard on them both. She was their first and only child and they never had another one after her death. She guessed no one could replace the most wonderful person they knew. They say a loss of a child is the worst thing anyone can experience.

This morning she saw them visiting Julie's grave. She knew they didn't blame her for her death but she still wasn't sure how they would react seeing her after so many years. She left before they could see her. But all the bad memories of that day came back to her.

The doctors said she was lucky. Lucky she didn't die. A thing she for a long time after that night wished she had. The police officers who were at the scene of the crime told her he easily could have killed her like he did with the other ones. They had seen it before. It wasn't the first time this bastard did something like this. Amita was told there were five other girls prior Julie. Five lives he had no right to take.

Julie was her best friend. She couldn't save her from the man who did this to her and Amita was forced to live with that knowledge. She always thought no one would find out as long as she kept a distance. Maybe if she took the job at Harvard she could finally leave all of this behind her. But she knew that was a lie. The memories would follow her whether she lived here in Los Angeles or moved to another country on the other side of the planet.

The nightmares were practically gone but once in a while she could still wake up drenched in sweat and tangled in her sheets. Sometimes she could even swear she heard Julie scream. The same scream she heard that night five years ago. It was a call for help. Unfortunately the help didn't come until it was already too late.

A phone far away startled her. She got up from the couch and went to the window. She didn't want to talk to anyone. The phone kept ringing but she ignored it. She wasn't in the mood and she was pretty sure who it was anyway. After a while the wanted silence was back. The only thing she heard now was the clock ticking in the bookshelf. Amita went into the kitchen and poured some coffee in a cup. She needed the caffeine.

After ten more minutes of thinking the phone rang again. She sighed and looked at the phone lying beside her on the counter. She knew there was only one way to make it stop ringing the entire morning.

"Hallo." She answered pressing the phone against her left ear.

"Hi, it's me." She knew who "me" was.

"Hi Charlie." Considering the circumstances it still felt good to hear his voice. This was the first time they talked since last night. Last night when they almost kissed.

"I called you earlier but you didn't answer."

"Yeah, sorry. I was in the shower." She lied.

"Oh. Okay…ehm…I know it's you're day off and all but I…I kind of need your help with something." He sounded nervous.

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Don has a kidnapping case where the kidnapper is communicating by sending e-mail to the victim's parents and…and I know you have a program they can use to find his computer's location."

"Yeah…" She said and walked into the living room "I have it right here." She picked up a CD with her free hand.

"So, you'll help me right? I don't really know how it works." She smiled.

"Sure, I'll help."

"Okay, I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes?"

"Sounds good. See you then."

"Yeah, bye."

She put the phone back on the kitchen counter and finished her one cup of coffee hoping it would be enough to keep her from falling asleep. She left the kitchen and went into the bathroom stopping in front of the mirror. She looked exactly like she felt. With the help of some makeup she tried her best to cover the dark bags under her eyes hoping no one would notice them.

Fifteen minutes later, just like he told her, the door rang. She gathered her things and opened it.

"Right on time." She said trying not to sound too tired. He smiled when he saw her. He always did and therefore it killed her even more when she had to let him down over and over again. She locked the door behind them and went down the stairs towards the parking lot where his car was parked.

The drive over to Don's office was silent. Anyway until the next red light. She saw Charlie in the corner of her eyes and she could tell he wanted to say something.

"Amita…about last night…" He started after clearing his throat a couple of times.

"Don't worry about it." She interrupted him before he had a chance to finish. She knew what he was going to say. He was going to apologize. She didn't need him to apologize for something that wasn't even his fault. But she didn't say that. In fact neither one of them spoke during the last minutes of the drive.

* * *

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

It had started to rain when they pulled up in front of the building. It wasn't pouring down or anything but they still took some quicker steps towards the entrance trying to avoid getting too wet. If Amita remembered correctly they had mentioned a thunderstorm on the weather channel this morning but it wasn't supposed to reach LA until later this night. _Guess they were wrong…again._ She made a mental note to make a quick stop at the supermarket before she gets home. She was practically out of food and if this weather was going to get worse she needed to shop now since she hated to drive when it rained.

Charlie, who reached the building first, opened the door for her and she had to smile at the considerate gesture. It was these little things that made her love him. These things like holding doors for her, buying her breakfast when she hadn't had time to eat or just trying to comfort her when she was particularly upset. She still remembered the case with the organ-harvesting a couple of months ago. That's how she met Santi and found out that the two of them had one thing in common. India. But Amita didn't know how to talk to her about it. Even though her parents were from India Amita was born and raised in California. She knew nothing or very little about India. Growing up she tried her best fitting in by never talking about it. She was quite simply ashamed.

Even though she found it hard she confessed this to Charlie. She told him, not everything but a little, and it actually turned out not to be the end of the world. He gave her the advice to talk to her grandmother and that's exactly what she did. It was the best thing she could've ever done. That day was the first day in over five years she really opened up to someone. She didn't tell him everything about her past but it was a big step for her. God knows there was still something she definitely wasn't ready to talk about.

Charlie smiled shyly back at her but was still trying to avoid her gaze by looking down on his shoes when she walked past him into the building. It was obvious he was still a bit uncomfortable being around her considering what happened yesterday. She was aware of that. And she was also aware of the fact that she wasn't making it easy on him. Especially not since she tried to avoid the topic in the car. It was just too damn hard to talk about.

Don was standing by his desk talking on the phone when they exited the elevator. He waved at them to join him and ended the phonecall to greet them. He looked stressed. He had obviously hit a dead end and needed to pick up the trace again as soon as possible. Amita and Charlie were just the right people to help them do that.

Don took them to a room on the other side of the office. With some help from Charlie, Amita explained to Don and Colby how the program worked and by the end of the following hour she had already managed to pinpoint four possible locations where the kidnapper could be. Happy with the result and the thought that she might have helped saving the girl's life she left the room with Charlie and Don close behind her. Don was on the phone again giving orders to other agents to check out the different areas.

"Thanks for coming by." Don said when he hung up and put the phone back into his pocket. "Charlie told me it was your day off so..." She knew how much Don appreciated their help but he really didn't need to thank her. The thought of helping and possible saving someone's life was truly enough.

"No, it was no problem. I just hope you find the guy."

"Yeah, you and me both."

She turned around to head for the elevator but froze the minute she saw the doors open. Across the room Megan and David lead a handcuffed man inside an interrogation room. Sure, it was five years ago but there was NO way she would ever forget that face. It still haunted her dreams. The short black hair matched his dark eyes. She remembered the last time she looked into them. Those eyes belonged to a man without a soul. His stupid grin was still there and the visible scar on his left cheek was in the same place her friend scratched him when she fought for her life. They found skin cells under her fingernails during her autopsy. That and Amita's description of him were evidence enough to make an arrest. Why was he out? And what if anyone finds out about her involvement? Amita knew it was somewhere in a file and if _he_ was here it meant that that particular file was here too.

The memories came rushing back to her. She remembered the day after the attack. Even though it happened half a decade ago she remembered it like yesterday. A lot of people visited her that day in the hospital. Policeofficers and FBI agents mostly. As soon as she woke up after surgery they were waiting for her. Waiting to hear her story. She had to give a statement of what had happened and her injuries were photographed. If Don or anyone else she knew would see them…

She was still staring at the closed door. The same door the man she hated more than anything entered only a few seconds ago. That's when she heard someone saying her name. Someone was calling her name but she couldn't quite focus on the voice. It was too far away.

"Amita? Are you okay?" She felt dizzy and closed her eyes. She wanted to throw up the minute she saw him. Charlie and Don each grabbed an arm when they thought she was going to fall. They tried to make her sit down but she resisted. She just wanted to get out of there.

"Amita?" She heard her being said once again and forced herself to concentrate on Charlie's voice. Slowly she opened her eyes and met the worried looks Don and Charlie gave her.

"What? I'm fine." She said touching her forehead with her hand and at the same time trying to ignore the looks she got from the other people in the room. She backed away. Away from the concern in her friends eyes. "I just…I got a little dizzy, that's all." She said trying to hide the fear in her voice. She was still a bit unsteady and grabbed the nearest desk but continued to move away from them. "I just need some fresh air so I'll be waiting outside." She explained to Charlie and she was gone before he got a chance to say anything back.

123123123123123123123123123

She ran out as soon as the elevator hit the floor she requested. She didn't care how many people she had to push aside on the way to the bathroom. With no time to apologize she just kept on running. She felt the angry looks they gave her and heard an occasional "What a hell!" when she bumped into them one by one. She got to the bathroom just in time and emptied her stomach into the first available toilet. It made her feel a little better. For a short while anyway. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her? Maybe it really wasn't _him_, just some random guy they picked up on the streets for selling drugs to kids or something. She breathed heavily and closed her eyes as she leaned against the white wall. Who was she kidding? Unless he has a twin brother, which she was positive he didn't have, it was definitely _him_.

When her breathing went back to normal and she knew she couldn't throw up anymore she searched her purse for some breathmints. The box was empty but luckily she found some gum instead. She went to the sink and washed her mouth with water several times to get rid of the taste and smell before she put the gum into her mouth. The last thing she needed was Charlie finding out she'd just thrown up. She looked and sighed at the reflection in the mirror before she left.

123123123123123123123123123

Charlie had left Don soon after her and was now waiting for her by the car just like she suspected. Luckily the rain had stopped but considering the dark sky it would probably start again any minute. She took a deep breath and exited the building. She didn't have to say anything since Charlie saw her as soon as she came out.

He was obviously worried about her and went to meet her halfway. "Sorry." She said when he was close enough to hear her. "I just needed to go to the bathroom." Technically that wasn't a lie.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I ate some bad food or something." Charlie nodded and opened the car door for her. Amita thanked him and climbed in. His hand slid across the hood of the car as he rounded it to get to the drivers seat. She wasn't sure if he believed her but would soon find out. When he was seated behind the wheel he closed the door and put the key in the ignition hole but never started the car. He simply leaned back, put his hands in his lap and stared out through the window. Amita didn't know what to do. It was too quiet and she didn't like it.

"You know him, don't you?" He turned his head to look at her. "The guy we saw up there…the guy in handcuffs." He explained.

Amita didn't answer him. Her head was turned away from him and her eyes were focused on a tree outside the side window. "I'm right, aren't I?" He asked again. This time she took her eyes off the tree and looked down on her hands that were resting in her lap.

"I don't know him." She said quietly. It was almost a whisper and she wasn't sure if Charlie even heard it.

"But you recognized him from somewhere." It wasn't really a question and she fought the urge to run out of the car.

"Charlie, I told you I don't know him. I've never seen the guy in my entire life." She said a little loader still avoiding his questioning gaze. "Look, I'm really tired and I just want to go home. Will you drive me there?" He looked at her for a moment before he finally gave in.

"Yeah…sure." He sighed. Amita didn't need to say anything. He knew something wasn't right. Charlie never mentioned anything to Don but he noticed how Amita reacted upon seeing the guy. She went pale like…like she had just seen a ghost.

The drive home was very quiet. Neither one of them spoke and never once did she have the courage to look at him. Afraid he would ask what she was hiding she thanked him for the ride, said goodbye and jumped out of the car before he could ask any more questions.

123123123123123123123123123

Never in a million years had it ever felt this good to come home. She took the stairs instead of the elevator. This way she wouldn't meet Mrs Hendrick, the nosiest person in the building. The doors to the elevator opened up right in front of her apartment and Amita could sometimes swear she was sitting in there looking out through the peephole just waiting for someone to get home.

Mrs Hendrick wasn't mean or anything like that. She was actually a very nice old lady and Amita knew she only had good intentions. Since her husband died three years ago she had pretty much lived alone, with the exception of her three cats. Her only child, a son, was all grown up and Amita vaguely remembered Mrs Hendrick telling her that he lived in New York working in a law firm. Apparently he would also be the perfect man for Amita. It was after telling her that that Amita started to avoid her. She didn't need a man in her life right now and even if she did there was only one man she wanted.

She threw herself on the couch in her living room. The doubt was still there. Was it him? And if it was, why wasn't he in prison? The thoughts made her tired. She didn't want to think about this now. She just wanted to forget. Forget and live on with her life. The little of a life she had anyway.

Charlie only tried to understand. Understand what troubled her by being her friend. That's all he wanted. But she pushed him away…again. There was one thing she was more afraid of right now than having to tell her story. She was afraid of someday waking up only to find out he wasn't in her life anymore. It would happen if she continued to live like this. She knew that.

Don would find out. That is if he hadn't already. He knew everything that was going on in his office. No doubt about it. That was his job after all. She felt the tears threatening to fall and didn't have the energy to stop them this time. That night she cried herself to sleep.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

The promised storm came with full force that night. Amita was now frustrated. Two hours ago she woke up to the sound of thunder and she hadn't been able to go back to sleep since then. Trying to keep herself occupied she managed to get a lot of things done in those two hours. She watered all of her plants; washed up the used glasses in the sink; she read the old newspaper…twice (she even finished the crossword) _and_ made the bed since she was certain she couldn't fall asleep again. Then she got hungry and succeeded to make a sandwich out of the little things she had in her fridge. After today's event she never really felt like going to the store like she had planned.

The TV was on showing some kind of western film from the seventies and Amita was sitting silently in the couch watching it. She had never really become a fan of western films but since this was the only "good" thing on she decided to give it another try. She had to admit the stunts weren't too bad considering it was an old movie and it _did_ look a lot of fun riding those horses.

She remembered the first time she sat on the back of a horse. Or it was rather a pony. Her grandmother took her to the zoo when she was around six or seven years old. Of all the animals and everything else they had in that zoo Amita was only interested in one thing. The pony riding.

_/Flashback/_

"_Over there, grandma! I want to see the ponies." She let go of her grandmother's hand and ran towards the pretty animals. She nearly fell but nothing was going to keep her away from them._

"_Amita, don't run away like that. My old legs doesn't work that fast." Her grandmother explained when she caught up with her and put a hand on top of Amita's head._

"_Sorry grandma. I just wanted to see Spot." She said and patted the brown and white pony standing on the other side of the fence._

"_Spot?" She asked curiously._

"_I named him that. See, he has a spot on his head." Amita explained._

"_Oh right, he does." Not willing to tell her" he" was actually a "her"._

"_You know. They have pony riding for every child who wants to try." She said after a while. When she noticed Amita's eyes widen she couldn't keep herself from smiling. _

"_Really?" _

"_Really." She confirmed._

"_Oh! Can I ride him, grandma? Can I? Please, please, please, please." Her grandmother laughed softly at the eager little girl. _

"_Of course you can but you have to be careful. You have to listen to the instructor and do what he says. Okay?"_

"_Yes, I promise." The little girl gave her a tight hug before she ran away to put on a helmet. _

_/End Flashback/_

Amita smiled to herself. A month after their first visit at the zoo that was all she ever talked about. She was going to be a horsewoman when she grew up. That was her dream back then until she turned twelve. After that it became more of a hobby.

She even took lessons and became quite good. At the stable was where she first met Julie. Julie was one year younger but the two of them practically became inseparable. After her death she stopped riding but it didn't go one day without her missing it.

Amita was pulled out of her thought when it suddenly went pitch black. She tried to turn on the lights again but it wasn't working. The power was out and obviously not just in her building she noticed as she looked out the window.

"_Great." _She muttered to herself. _"Now what shall I do?"_

123123123123123123123123123123

Across town Charlie, also suffering from insomnia, was sitting in the couch in the living room surrounded by candles. Luckily he wasn't as restless as Amita. He had plenty of things he could do. Correction, plenty of things he _had _to do.

The entire table in front of him was filled with papers that needed to be graded before the end of the week. He never learned. Larry knew him too well and had been telling him since Monday last week he had to do it but Charlie always found other, more interesting things to do. Since tomorrow was his day off he decided to stay up late finishing every single paper and still be free during the day. He smiled at his brilliant plan.

After a while he heard the front door open. Charlie turned his head towards the hallway. He squinted but it was too dark to see anything other than shadows. He swallowed hard but stayed where he was grabbing the only thing he could defend himself with. His pencil.

"Charlie?" Don said with a low voice when he noticed the light coming from the living room.

"Don?" _Thank God. _

"Well, doesn't that look cosy." He said when he entered the living room referring to Charlie sitting in the dark surrounded by candles. "The only thing missing here is…well the girl."

"Very funny Don." Charlie responded and instinctive glanced down on his watch. Almost 4.00 AM."What are you doing here anyway? Don't you have your own apartment to go to?"

"Your house is closer from work and I was tired." Don took a seat in the empty chair and studied his brother for a while. "What're you doing?" He asked pointing at the mess on the table.

"Just grading some papers." Charlie sighed.

"Some? Are you kidding! I can hardly see you behind all that heap of papers." Charlie chuckled and Don tried desperately to find the remote control only to find out he was sitting on it.

"I'm actually almost done. It only took me…" Charlie checked his watch again. "…three hours and fifteen minutes."

"Really? That's all? I wonder how long it would have taken if you weren't a genius." Don said playfully. He tried to start the TV but when nothing happened he remembered he probably needed electricity for that. Charlie chuckled at him but was hit with a cushion coming from Don's direction.

Half an hour later it was done. _Finally_. He looked at the table and smiled at his little conquest. Turning his head towards the chair he noticed his sleeping brother. _Shoot! _There was something he needed to ask him.

"Don." He whispered but got no response. "Don." He said a little louder. Still nothing. "Don!"

"Charlie, what is it?" He kept his eyes closed.

"Can I talk to you about something?" Charlie asked already knowing the answer.

"Not now Charlie. I'm tired. We'll talk tomorrow." Don said his voice thick with sleep.

"Sure." Charlie nodded. "Sure." He said to himself. He pushed himself of the couch and blew out the candles before heading upstairs to his room.

123123123123123123123123123123

The morning came fast and Amita was surprised she actually succeeded to fall asleep again. But of course she just _had to_ fall asleep on the couch. The stupid, uncomfortable and hard piece of furniture that shouldn't even be allowed to be called a couch. A couch shouldn't give you back problem only after a couple of hours.

She pulled herself out of it and glanced up at the watch hanging on the wall by her bookshelf. _Since when is it this dark outside at half past eight in the morning? _She thought to herself and went to the window.

Dark grey clouds were covering the usually blue sky this Thursday morning. Amita sighed. At least it wasn't raining anymore.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the delay, I've just had a lot on my mind these last couple of days. I also want to take thisopportunity to thank you all for the reviews I've been getting. It means a lot to me to be able to read all your thoughts about this story and I'll hope you'll continue writing them down. **

**Anyway, here is finally chapter 4. I'll hope you'll like.

* * *

**

Alan was sitting at the dinner table reading the newspaper like he usually did every morning. He was often the first one to wake up nowadays. Ever since his wife passed away a couple of years ago he hasn't enjoyed the mornings in bed like he used to. Staying in bed too long reminded him of how lonely he felt. When Margaret was alive she and Alan used to wake up in each others arms. Together they would lie in bed talking about nothing and everything. Sometimes their discussions involved their two wonderful boys, sometimes they involved the past or sometimes they even talked about what the future might hold for them.

When Margaret got diagnosed with cancer they didn't talk about the future any more. Margaret made some brave attempts to bring it up but Alan refused to listen. The truth was he was scared to death. He already knew how the future would turn out and he hated it.

"Dad!" Charlie interrupted him in the middle of a very interesting article about architecture. Charlie, who had run down the stairs looking for his older brother, tried to gain his normal breathing before he continued. Alan just looked at him like he had grown a second head. "Is Don still home?" he asked between a few deep breaths.

"Well, good morning to you too Charlie." He said and went back to the paper.

"Good morning dad." Charlie sighed. When Alan didn't respond immediately he got impatient. "Well, is he?"

Alan looked up again. "No…no, you just missed him. He got called in fifteen minutes ago. Why, did something happen?"

"No, not really…I…I just needed to talk to him about something." He looked around the room still feeling his father's gaze. "Is the power back on?" He asked trying to change the subject.

"Yeah. It came back about an hour ago."

"So…that means that maybe you made coffee?" Alan glanced at him from behind the paper. He couldn't help smiling at his son.

"Late night?" he asked.

"More likely an early morning." Charlie answered referring to the fact he hadn't fallen asleep until 5.00 AM this morning. He turned away from Alan and started to move towards the kitchen door.

"Yeah, I guess you shouldn't have waited so long grading those papers." Charlie froze in the middle of the doorway and turned his head to look at his father who had a smirk on his face.

"You've talked to Larry, haven't you?" Alan said nothing. "You know…" Charlie continued. "…as much as I appreciate yours _and_ Larry's interest in my life, I am a grown man and I think I know how to do my job without you two interfering." Alan turned his head and looked at him. "What?"

"Nothing." He explained. "Larry and I were just concerned that you would forget to do it. You are very, umm…what's the word…absent-minded."

"I am not." Charlie defended himself.

"Okay let me ask you this. How long time have you had to do it? Two weeks?"

Charlie captured his lower lip between his teeth. "Actually, four weeks." He said quietly. Alan raised his eyebrows. "Okay, point taken. Now can I _please_ have some coffee?"

Alan smiled at him. "Help yourself." He said and pointed towards the kitchen.

"Damn." Charlie muttered when he was out of earshot. He was hoping on catching Don before he left for work.

123123123123123123123123123123

The elevator opened at the familiar floor and he was met with all the familiar faces. Since this was Charlie's day off he decided to go and see Don at his office. There was something he had to know before he could confront Amita. Something was up and he wanted to know what.

He moved towards Don who was standing by his desk with a blue cup in one hand and a bunch of papers in the other one. It had been a busy morning for Don. Since he came in for work only a few hours ago he'd already busted four guys for attempted robbery in a jewellery store downtown. It had become a hostage situation and it took them almost two hours before they could make an arrest. Luckily no one got hurt. Unfortunately for Don the arrest didn't only mean four criminals behind bars, it also meant a LOT of paperwork.

He was about to take a sip of the hot coffee when he looked up and noticed Charlie coming towards him.

"Hi Charlie." Don greeted him when he noticed his younger brother. "What are you doing here?"

"Do you have a minute? I kind of need to talk to you about something." The tension in his voice didn't go Don unnoticed.

"Of course. What is it?" When Charlie didn't say anything he got worried. "Charlie?"

"It's just…can we talk where it's a little bit more private?" he asked and looked around the room.

"Sure." He led his brother into the breakroom and closed the door behind them. When he turned around Charlie was already sitting by the table in the middle of the room. He didn't have his bag with him today and that made Don suspect that this was something unrelated to work.

"Charlie?" When he didn't get an answer he walked and took a seat in an empty chair on the other side of the table. They were now face to face.

"Charlie, what did you want to ask me?"

"You know the guy Megan and David brought in yesterday when Amita and I were helping you with the kidnapping case?" _Okay, Don could see where this was going._

"Yeah…I know who you mean." Charlie nodded.

"Who was he?"

"He…" Don cleared his throat. "He was an inmate."

"Inmate?"

"Yeah..." Don spoke. He needed to be careful of what he was saying. If he knew Charlie like he thought he did Charlie wouldn't stop asking until he was satisfied with the answer. "…he shot a guard two weeks ago and had been on the run until we found him in the wood that morning." He stopped talking and looked at Charlie for a moment. Neither one of them spoke but it was Don who finally broke the silence. "Charlie? Why are you asking me this?"

"I think Amita knew who he was." He said quietly.

"What?" Don's eyes became like thin lines and he wrinkled his eyebrows like he used to do when he found something to be disturbing. "Charlie, how could she know him? He's been living in prison for years."

"She could have met him before that." Don was looking on him like he didn't know what to believe. "I'm serious Don. You saw how she reacted when she saw him. She practically ran out of here."

"I thought you said she ate some bad food."

"That's what she told me but I don't know Don."

"Charlie, you are just speculating. This is ridiculous."

"Why Don? Why is this ridiculous?" Charlie was getting slightly upset and was now standing up. "Could you please tell me that? Why am I being ridiculous?" Don didn't answer him but when Charlie turned around to look at him he could tell there was something he was hiding. "Don?" Still no answer. "Don? What was he in prison for?"

"Charlie…"

"What was he in prison for?" Charlie interrupted him. Don sighed. He knew his brother wouldn't let this go.

"He was convicted of raping and murdering six girls."

"He is a rapist?" Charlie whispered. Don could only nod. He looked down on his hands on the table trying to avoid Charlie's chocking gaze. Charlie had to think for a while but he wasn't ready to let this go just yet.

"You know what it is, don't you?" Don looked up and Charlie continued. "The thing Amita isn't telling me. You now what it is." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah." Don whispered. It was Megan who gave the file to him. She told him there was something he needed to see. The look in her eyes and the sound of her voice told him it had to be serious. The photos were the first thing he saw. He thought he had seen it all but it was a totally different experience when it was someone you knew. Someone you cared about. He could only imagine what it felt like to live through a night like that.

"And you're not going to tell me."

"I think Amita should tell you herself." It had to be bad if Don didn't want to say anything. His legs felt weak and he had to sit down again.

"Did…did he rape her?" Charlie couldn't believe he was asking this. It felt like he was participating in some sad TV-show. He kept wishing for a director to yell "cut" so he could go home and hide under his comforter.

"Charlie…"

"Did he rape her Don!" Charlie practically screamed.

"Charlie…you should talk to her." Don sounded calm. Not once during this whole conversation did he raise his voice.

Charlie couldn't take it any longer. He backed away and moved towards the door. He had to get out of there. He was almost running into Megan but didn't stop to apologize. Behind him he could hear Don calling his name but he didn't care. He went as fast as he could to the elevator and hit the button. When the doors were finally closed he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He knew were he was going to go next.

Megan looked at Don who was still sitting at the table. He didn't have to tell her what their conversation had been about. She had already seen the file. He could also tell what Don was thinking. He was wondering if he made the right decision in telling Charlie. Okay, he didn't tell him much. He never mentioned what actually happened or said anything about Amita's friend. But he did do something. He made Charlie wanting to know more. And to know more he had to talk to Amita.

* * *

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

He had been sitting in his car for twenty minutes now not knowing whether to go up there or drive back home. He looked out the window and focused on the apartment where he knew Amita lived. It looked kind of dark. Maybe she wasn't home. He tried to remember if Amita had to be at CalSci today but the more he thought about it the more uncertain he became. Perhaps he should just leave and come back later. He glanced down on his hands resting on the steering wheel and could see them turning whiter the more he hardened his grip around it.

He was about to start the engine when he saw her on the other side of the street carrying one plastic bag in each hand. His guess was that she had gone to the grocery store. He saw her looking both ways before she crossed the street and went in the direction of her building.

Charlie had already exited the car before Amita ever reached the other side of the street. It was raining again. Quite much actually but it didn't bother him. She stopped only a few feet away. She hadn't seen him standing there until now. She had been too busy looking down at the pavement to avoid getting raindrops in her eyes.

Charlie studied her for a moment. Her long black hair was soaking wet and stuck to her cheeks because of it. Her lips were almost in a shade of purple and he could tell she was freezing because of the trembling. Noting strange about that considering the thin black shirt she was wearing.

"Hi." He said after a moment of silence.

"Hi Charlie. What are you doing here?" she asked trying to hide the worry in her voice. She failed miserably.

Charlie took a deep breath and looked down on the bags. "Do you need help with that?" he said and pointed at the bags. Before she could ask why he was avoiding her question he bent down to take one of the bags from her. Their fingers touched slightly and he noticed how cold she felt compared to him.

"Thanks." Charlie nodded.

"Now, let's get you inside. You're freezing." Amita smiled at his consideration and together they walked the last twenty feet to the front door.

"So…Charlie…" she said putting down the grocery on the kitchen table. "Are you going to tell me what you're doing here or do I have to guess?"

He mimicked her action by putting down his bag on the same table before answering the unavoidable question. "I was just checking up on you. See how you were doing. I know you didn't feel well yesterday so…" he trailed off.

"I'm fine Charlie." She insisted. "You don't have to worry about me." She crossed her arms around her chest in a defensive manner.

"You should take a shower and change into something warmer. You're still shaking." He said to change the subject. Amita looked down on her clothes. She really was soaked to the skin. "Don't worry about the bags." He told her. "I'll take care of it." She looked up again before nodding an leaving him alone.

A few seconds later she came back with a towel in her hand. "Here." He handed it to him. "I'm not the only one who looks freezing." She caught his gaze and smiled at him. She told him she would be right back and that he could make himself at home while he was waiting.

123123123123123123123123123123

A nice warm shower and some dry clothes later she opened her bedroom door. There was a familiar smell spreading in her apartment coming from the kitchen. She followed the sound of pans and bowls only to find her friend standing behind the stove. She stood still in the doorway and observed how easily he floated around the kitchen even if he'd only been to her place a few times before.

Slowly she made her way towards him. Carefully not to make a sound she peeked over his left shoulder to ease her curiosity.

"Mmm…something smells good." The sound of her voice almost made him jump. He hadn't heard her enter the room. She on the other hand wasn't moving away. He felt her warm breath tickling his ear and he had to try hard to concentrate on what he was doing.

"It's just pancakes." He explained. "By the way, I hope you don't mind me taking over your kitchen." He joked.

"Are you kidding. I'm starving." She moved away to put plates and glasses onto the table. Then she walked back and leaned against the kitchen counter next to him. She took a deep breath and inhaled the nice scent of pancakes.

"I love pancakes." She said without any particular reason.

He looked up at her smiling. "I know you do."

123123123123123123123123123123

The food was delicious. Just like she suspected it would be. She couldn't complain too much about the company either.

After dinner Charlie insisted on doing the dishes and Amita found herself being forced into the living room. She switched on the TV to make the time go faster and was later joined by Charlie.

A few minutes into the show Charlie stole a quick glance at Amita. She had covered herself up with a white blanket. However, she wasn't watching the TV. She was looking out through the window. Her mind was someplace else and he took the opportunity to clear his throat. She snapped back to reality like she'd just realized she wasn't the only one in the room.

"Amita?" he asked and turned his head towards the TV again.

"Yeah."

"You know you can trust me, right?"

She turned her head to look at him. Charlie still had his eyes focused on the screen in front of them. "I know. I do trust you Charlie."

"And you know you can talk to me about anything?"

"Charlie, what's this about?"

He turned his head and caught her questioning gaze. "I know you knew who he was." He didn't need to elaborate. Amita knew who he meant.

"You talked to Don." She said quietly.

"Yes." His answer confirmed her suspicions.

She nodded quietly as if trying to absorb the fact he now knew for sure there was something she was hiding. "What did he tell you?"

"Not much. He wanted me to talk to you."

"So that's why you came here? Because you wanted to know what could be so bad that I didn't want to talk about it. I knew you were up to something the moment I saw you standing in the rain waiting for me. I knew…"

"Amita…" he interrupted her. "…I came here because I thought you could need a friend." When she didn't say anything he continued. "When I talked to Don earlier I got the feeling that this is something more serious than…I don't know what, but if you want me to go, I will. But don't think I'm doing it because I don't care. Because I do."

Sighing she rose from her place on the couch and walked to the window. It was getting darker by the minute. It was only a quarter to eight but the dark grey clouds outside were covering the usually blue sky.

She felt his gaze on her back and turned around. He was indeed looking on her but she didn't like _how _he looked at her. She could tell he felt sorry for her.

"I don't know what Don told you but I don't need your pity Charlie. What happened happened and I…I just want to forget about it."

"What did he do to you?" He knew he just crossed the line in asking her this but he had to know. She flinched at his question and it was obvious that she didn't know if she wanted him to know or not. He slowly rose from the couch. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to but if you ever need me…you know where to find me." He was about to head for the door but Amita stopped him.

"Charlie…" he turned around at the sound of his name on her lips. "You shouldn't drive home in this weather."

"It's okay. You need to rest."

"Charlie it's pouring down. What if you get into an accident? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if you got hurt because I let you leave." He knew she was right. "You can borrow the couch if you want to but I should warn you, it isn't exactly comfortable."

"I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll get you some clean sheets."

123123123123123123123123123123

Amita was lying awake in her bed. It had been an hour and a half since she said goodnight to Charlie. She told him she was feeling a little tired, obviously a lie, and that he could watch TV if he was unable to fall asleep.

Slowly she swung her feet over the edge of the bed and walked to the door. By pressing her right ear against the cold wooden surface she could hear the sound of the TV. Charlie was still awake. Carefully she turned the handled and walked out into the other room. Charlie heard the weak creak of the door and turned his head to face her.

He studied her for a moment. She was wearing a thin blue shirt that was barely covering her upper thighs. She looked absolutely breathtaking standing there only a few feet away from him with her tousled hair, but he also knew there was a reason for her late visit.

"He killed my best friend." She said quietly seeing Charlie's eyes widen.

He turned off the TV and motioned for her to take a seat next to him. She took the invitation and placed herself on the couch not too far away from him. She tucked her feet under herself and Charlie covered her with the blanket.

"I was nineteen when it happened. Julie was a year younger." She chuckled quietly for herself. "We were stable buddies. Can you believe that? Me, taking riding lessens." He smiled at the picture in his head of Amita riding on an open field with the wind in her head. The picture faded once she went on with her story. "Anyway, one night we had been invited to a party. We took a short cut through the park only to find out I left my wallet in my other purse…So I went back and…and Julie stayed behind waiting for me." She took a moment before she continued.

"The police told me he had been hiding in the bushes waiting for the right moment to strike. I guess it came when I left her alone." She wasn't facing Charlie as she spoke. She didn't know if she could.

"When I walked back I heard her scream. She was calling for help and I remembered dropping all my stuff to the ground and running towards her." She stopped again. She felt the tears in her eyes but they didn't fall.

"There was so much blood." She was barely whispering and pulled the blanket up higher. "Her clothes were ripped open and she had a deep cut on her throat. I still remember the smell of iron in the air. I panicked. I didn't know what to do and I couldn't call for help because I didn't have a phone." Without warning she felt Charlie take a hold of her hand and squeeze it. It was enough courage to help her go on.

"I kneeled down beside her and called her name but she didn't answer me. I got blood on my hands and clothes and that's when I realized she wasn't going to wake up anymore. I don't know how long I sat like that holding her hand in mine but when I heard something behind me I froze. The moment I felt his arms around me I thought I was going to die. I tried to run but he wrestled me to the ground and held me there so I couldn't move…I guess after six murders you probably know how to do it."

"He hit me several times in the face to show me he was serious. That's when I saw it…the knife I mean. He told me he would slit my throat like he had done with Julie if I screamed." She felt Charlie's hand tightened around hers. It was killing him to sit there and listen when he couldn't do anything to make her feel better.

"I didn't listen to him…so when I thought I heard someone coming our way I screamed as load as I could. The guys I heard were on their way to the same party as Julie and I were. When they heard me scream they ran towards us. I guess he got angry when he realized he wasn't going to have me because the next thing I knew I felt a hard punch in my stomach." She put her hand over it. "He had stabbed me."

"Oh my god." Charlie heard himself whisper.

"After that everything went black. The doctors told me I lost a lot of blood but that I was too stubborn to die." She turned her head and looked at Charlie. She caught his gaze and forced a small smile.

"I guess I didn't want to become number seven."

* * *

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

Waking up to the smell of coffee in the morning is a wonderful experience. Waking up to the smell of coffee when you know you're living alone is just weird.

It took a moment for Amita to process what had happened last night. She'd told Charlie about her past and he hadn't judged her. He simply told her there was nothing she could have done differently. The guy knew what he wanted and went after it. It was not her fault and she shouldn't blame herself for it.

When she opened her eyes she found herself in her own bed tangled in her own sheets. A moment of confusion hit her as she slowly sat up and looked around. She didn't remember going into her bedroom last night. The last thing she could remember was sitting close to Charlie talking to him about Julie and her riding-days and other things about her life when growing up in California. She also remembered feeling her eyelids become heavier and heavier. She must have dozed off and Charlie must have carried her back.

Entering the living room she noticed that the sheets Charlie borrowed last night were now laying nicely folded on the table. She smiled before she continued to follow the lovely aroma through the rest of the living room, across the hallway and into the kitchen, which were also where she found Charlie with a pot in his hand.

"You know, you would make a really good housekeeper." She teased him when she saw him standing in front of the coffee maker pouring coffee into a cup. "I mean pancakes yesterday and know coffee. You even brought in the newspaper." She said when she saw it in his hand. Charlie simply smiled and handed her a cup.

"Yeah, don't get too used to it, I charge by the hour."

"Oh, is that so? Name a price and maybe I'll keep you."

"Nah, you couldn't afford me". She laughed softly and took a seat in an empty chair by the table and Charlie soon followed her move. He observed her taking small sips of the hot beverage into her mouth. "Thank you…" he started. "…for telling me…and for trusting me."

She put the cup down and looked up at him while giving him one of her beautiful smiles. "Thank you…for listening."

"That's what friends are for."

"Yeah, I guess…Um…speaking of last night. I just woke up in my bed with no recollection of how I got there." He chuckled quietly.

"Yeah, you fell asleep on my shoulder in a very uncomfortable angle I must say. I thought you might sleep better in your own bed so I carried you in there."

"Thanks…I slept very well by the way." She told him and they smiled at each other. It was very much true. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she woke up this well rested.

"I'm glad to hear it." He looked down on his hands lying on the table in front of him. "Amita I was meaning to ask you…do you want to do something later?"

"Do something?" She raised her eyebrows. "Don't you have classes today?"

"I only have one class and then I have to hand out some papers but I should be done by 3.00 PM or so."

"Okay then. What do you want to do?"

He never got a chance to answer before his cellphone started making that familiar and annoying sound. He sighed before reaching for it inside his pocket. Quickly he flipped it open, never bothering eyeing the display before answering.

"Hello…oh, hi dad…" he looked up at Amita who instantly turned her attention to him when she heard who it was. "…yeah, I know I didn't come home yesterday...where I was? Um…I was at school…yeah, you know those papers that were supposed to be done today…yes those…it turned out I left some of them at CalSci so I had to go back and finish them." He lied. He would have gotten too many questions if he told him he spent the night at Amita's place.

"...yeah I know, you told me that yesterday dad…" Charlie rolled his eyes and Amita giggled quietly. "…what? I'm not…okay I will not put off things again, I promise…no I promise…what do you mean you don't believe me?" It was hard for Amita to keep quiet when seeing Charlie squirm under his father's words.

"Dad, besides checking up on me, was there something you needed?" he kept the phone to his ear while he silently listened to what his father had to say. "Okay, I'll see you tonight then, drive safely…yeah bye."

"He's going away?" Amita asked when the phone was back in his pocket.

"Yeah, some "out of town"- meeting."

Amita nodded. "So, back to the question. What did you want to do today?"

"I was thinking…go and see a movie?"

"Oh, I know!" Amita said enthusiastically. "We can see the knew "Pirates of the Caribbean"- movie. It just premiered." Charlie laughed quietly at her eager response.

"Sounds good to me. But I'm paying." He put a hand up to silence her when she was about to object.

"Fine…but I'm paying for the popcorn." She said.

"Deal."

123123123123123123123123123123

It was a quarter to three and he was already done for the day. The papers were handed out and there really was nothing left to do but to drive home and change into some clean clothes. Since he spent the entire morning at Amita's he didn't have a chance to go home and change until it was too late and then he had to go to work.

The two of them decided Charlie would pick her up later tonight since he still wasn't sure when he would be ready to get off work. There was always a possibility that something would come up and he had to stay longer than expected. He was hoping that wouldn't happen today. They were going to see a movie like they had discussed earlier and Charlie was really looking forward to spend the evening with her.

"You're leaving already?" He turned around facing the doorway when he heard Larry's voice.

"I'm done for the day so there's no point in sticking around any longer."

"Yeah, but you never leave this early." He told him and glanced down on his watch. "Are you helping Don with a case?"

"Nope…actually I have plans tonight." This statement made Larry's eyes widen.

"The famous Dr Charles Edward Eppes have plans on a Friday night. I'm intrigued." He noticed the smile grew wider on Charlie's face and became even more curious. "So…what are you plans exactly?"

"Well, if you must know…Amita and I are going to catch a movie tonight."

"Amita huh? So you finally asked her out on a second date."

"Something like that, yeah." He turned his head and caught Larry's gaze. "Oh, come on. Don't give me that look."

"What look? I don't have a look." Larry defended himself.

"Yes, you do. And before you jump to any conclusions Amita and I are just friends."

"I know you two are friends. I also know how you feel about each other. The two of you have been pining for each other for a while now and…"

"Larry, before you say anything else, Amita was feeling upset and I only wanted to cheer her up. That's all."

"If you're telling me that the only reason you're asking Amita out on a date is to cheer her up, then fine by me. But don't ignore your feeling for each other because you're afraid that something might, and I say _might_, not turn out the way you wanted. You deserve better than that…you both do." Charlie didn't know what to say. He continued to stare at the older man before turning his gaze away. "Anyway…" Larry continued. "…I have two more classes to teach and one of them starts in ten minutes so I'll better go and prepare myself for it. See you on Monday Charles." He turned around but stopped in the middle of the doorway. "Um…Charles…think about what I said."

Charlie nodded and watched Larry exit his office leaving him alone with millions of thoughts going through his head. Larry was right. He had tried to convince himself that he only asked Amita out with the purpose of making her feel better. It was only a part of the truth. He didn't want to rush things in case she wasn't ready. It did take her five long years to finally confide in someone about her past and he definitely didn't want to screw things up now by moving too fast forward.

He finally decided not to dwell this any longer. Not now anyway. He tossed his backpack over his shoulder and locked the door to the office before he headed for his car. He was going out with Amita tonight and they were going to have a great time together. That was all that mattered right now. There was time to worry about other stuff later.

* * *

**To be continued...**


	7. Chapter 7

Running around the apartment trying to get ready for her date with Charlie made her wonder if she had to take a second shower just to calm her nerves. Maybe it was because she didn't have anything to hide anymore or maybe it was simply the fact that she was going out with Charlie but Amita couldn't remember the last time she was this excited about anything.

It took her fifteen minutes just to figure out whether to wear a dress or something more comfortable. They were only going to the movies after all. In the end she decided on the later and put on a blue top and jeans.

At ten to eight the doorbell rang. She didn't even have to look through the peephole to see who it was. There was only one person she was expecting at this moment and she was more than sure that he was standing on the other side of the door right now.

"Hi." He greeted her with a smile and she could feel herself returning it.

"Hi. Come on in I'm almost done." She left the door open for Charlie to enter and went into the bedroom. "I just have to grab my purse." She called back to him.

"Take your time. I think I'm early anyway."

"What time did you say the movie started?" Her white purse was hanging over her shoulder as she exited the bedroom with quick steps.

He glanced down at his watch. "Not until nine so there's plenty of time."

"Oh great, that means we wont miss the commercial."

"Commercial?" His question forced him to raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know. Before the real movie starts they show trailers of other movies and I just love watching those."

"Yeah?"

"Mmm…it's cosy and gets you in the mood."

"Ah…I think I know what you mean. It sort of heightens the tension."

"Exactly." They usually also gave her a moment to wonder what could happen _during _the movie. Would the guy next to you hold your hand when it becomes scary or, dared she dream, even put his arm around her? But that was too embarrassing to chare so Amita didn't say anything. She took a final glimpse around her apartment to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything important. "Okay, I'm ready." She told him at last, referring to more than just the date.

123123123123123123123123123123

The tickets were in one his pockets and the popcorn was in her lap. She took some of them into her mouth and looked to her right where Charlie was sitting. He was taking off his jacket to make himself more comfortable and was now struggling to free his arms from the sleeves. Once he was able to free one arm he could easily slip the other one out as well. It looked funny and unfortunately for Amita it was already too late to stop the smile forming on her lips.

"What?"

She shook her head and laughed softly while holding out the popcorn within his reach. "Want some?"

"Thanks."

"You know…" she started. "…it's been quite a while since I went to the movies."

"It was?"

"Mmm…I think it looked different too. Here are more seats than I remember."

"They remodelled it last year. They put in a bigger screen too."

"Yeah, now that you mention it." She looked around. "It looks good, cosier too. The atmosphere I mean."

"Yes, they did a good job improving this place."

It was when he turned to look at her that he saw the difference in her eyes. Even here in the dark he could see the small but still obvious sparkle in them. She looked happier somehow. And it made him wonder if he had anything to do with it. It had only been a day since she finally let everything go and told him about _it_, but lately he had felt closer to her than ever and he was certain she felt it too.

They were still staring at each other when the light softened and the movie began. Reluctantly they broke eye contact and turned their attention towards the big screen in front of them.

123123123123123123123123123123

"What a great movie!" Amita called out as they walked out into the warm night. The storm was finally over and the weather was back to normal again.

"Definitely the best I've seen in a long time." He admitted. "But I think that had something more to do with the company." She heard his comment but didn't turn to look at him. She glanced down on the pavement and smiled shyly. _How cute, she's blushing. _Charlie thought to himself as they continued their way down the busy street.

None one of them was ready to go home yet and therefore they decided on taking a small walk before heading back to the car.

After a while they passed a jewellery store which forced Amita to stop. She nearly missed it but the familiar necklace was lying in the window just waiting for someone to buy it. Charlie who noticed Amita wasn't by his side anymore turned around and walked back.

He stood beside her, trying to figure out what she was looking at when he finally gave up.

"See anything you like?" he asked.

"The gold necklace." She pointed out. "The one with the angel. My grandmother used to have one that looked just like that when I was a kid. I remember because I used to sit in her lap and play with it. Her husband, my grandfather, gave it to her on their wedding day to show her how much she meant to him." She silenced for a moment. "She loves angels."

"Just like you do."

"Yeah…" She smiled at the fact he still remembered her telling that. "One day I noticed she wasn't wearing it so I asked her about it. She told me someone broke into her house and stole it."

He nodded silently. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, it is." They stood still for a moment until he heard Amita yawn.

"Tired?"

"Maybe just a little."

"Want to go back to the car?"

"I don't want the night to end." She confessed and he gave her an understanding smile. He surprised her by taking her soft hand in his and together they slowly walked back.

123123123123123123123123123123

He pulled up in front of her building and turned the engine off. While glancing to his right he took in the sight before him. Amita was lying quietly in the passenger's seat taking small breaths through her slightly open mouth. She had never looked more beautiful.

Taking of his seatbelt he reached out his hand and pulled back the dark hair that was covering her face. He tucked it behind her ear before he went back and slowly caressed her cheek. He called her name a few times until she started to stir in her sleep.

When he realized she was about to wake up he took his hand away afraid he would get caught.

"Charlie?" Her eyes were still closed.

"Hi, welcome back."

She laughed softly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Don't worry about it. You're tired." She opened her eyes and glanced out the window.

"We're home?"

"You're home. Come on, I'll walk you to the door."

"You don't have to do that."

"But I want to. Besides I don't want you to fall asleep in the stairs and hurt yourself." He joked.

"Very funny."

The minute they exited the car he took hold of her hand again and it felt good. Really good. They walked side by side into her building, up the stairs, down the hall and towards her apartment. Amita reluctantly let go of his hand to fish the keys out of the purse.

Before she walked through the door she turned to Charlie who apparently was already looking at her. In fact he had been watching her the whole time, trying to learn every single move she made.

"I had a really great time Charlie."

"Me too. We should do it again sometime."

"Definitely. And I promise I won't fall asleep next time." She smiled when she heard him chuckle.

He took a deep breath knowing that the night had to end sometime. "I should get going before dad calls and wonder where I am again. He should be home by now."

"Will you call me tomorrow?" she heard herself ask.

"The moment I wake up. I promise."

She nodded, her eyes never leaving his. "Good night Charlie."

"Good night Amita."

* * *

**To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

"Charlie?"

"In here." He called back from behind one of his black boards in his garage.

Amita took that as an invitation and closed the door behind her. She took a moment to look around the room but wasn't surprised at what she saw. There was stuff everywhere. Several boxes were on the floor, papers were lying on the desk as did a couple of his homemade instruments. His big note boards were practically standing everywhere and she had to think twice before she could figure out how to get to the other side. Basically, it was at total mess but she didn't mind.

"Hi." He peeked out from behind one of the boards. "I'm just working on my Cognitive Emergence Theory."

"Yeah, your father told me. He also told me to be careful so I wouldn't get hurt. Now I know what he meant by that."

"Yeah, it's a little cramped in here." She raised her eyebrows and gave him a look of agreement.

"So, how's it going? With your work I mean."

"Well, I'm no where near finished yet but it's a start." He put the chalk down and watched her move gracefully among his things.

For the last couple of weeks, ever since their movie-date, they had spent almost every free minute they had together. And they were enjoying each other's company every time. His father once asked him when they would be getting married. It was only meant as a joke but it made Charlie think about doing something about those feelings he'd been trying to ignore. The truth was he hadn't even kissed her yet. Not that he didn't want to, he was just worried about moving too fast forward.

"So…" he began. "…what do you want to do today?"

"I don't know." She took her eyes of the blackboard and met his gaze. "I don't think I want to do anything specific. I just want to be here with you." He smiled at her little confession knowing he felt the same way.

"I see you found him at last." Both of them jumped when they heard Alan's voice in the doorway.

"I did…strangely enough." Amita answered him with a soft laugh.

"Hey, don't mock me. This…" he gestured with his hands. "…is a good mess. I know where everything is when I need it."

"Yeah, like when Larry asked you if he could borrow that book. What did it take? One and a half day until you actually found it?" Amita said with grin on her face.

"Well…obviously I didn't look for it the entire time. And for your record it wasn't lost. I just forgot where I put it."

"We hear you Charlie. Listen, I have an errand downtown so I will be gone for a few hours. I think Don and the others would come by later. He said something about bringing pizza so you don't have to make dinner today either Charlie." He said and put the stress on the word _either_.

In the corner of his eyes Charlie could see Amita's expression change to a more surprising look. Alan would probably be surprised if he knew how many times Charlie had been making dinner at Amita's place.

"You two have fun with…whatever it is your doing and I'll see you tonight. Bye Amita."

"Bye Mr Eppes." They watched the door close again before Amita turned around.

"So…" She crossed her arms around her chest and walked with slow steps towards him. "…you don't like cooking?" There was an obvious grin on her face as she spoke.

"I don't know what he's talking about."

"Of course not. So if I told him all about the times you been making dinner at my place…he wouldn't be surprised?"

"Well…what can I tell you?" he started. "It all depends on the person I'm cooking for." He winked back at her.

123123123123123123123123123123

"Charlie?" Don called when he came through the front door with Megan, Colby and David close behind him. The distinctive smell of pizza reached Charlie's and Amita's noses before they even came to join them around the dinner table.

"Mmm…I'm starving." Was the first thing Charlie said when he noticed the boxes on the table.

"You're always hungry." Don teased him and earned a look from him. "Hi Amita. I suspected you were here. You two have practically been inseparable for the last couple of weeks."

Charlie and Amita simply looked at each other not bothering to come up with a respond to that statement.

After dinner, which was when the pizza was eaten about fifteen minutes later, Amita rose from her chair. When Charlie looked up at her she silently told him she needed to use the bathroom.

That was ten minutes ago.

Now she stood outside the bathroom door eying the pictures on the bureau in front of her. One of them was of Charlie, Don and their mother. She picked it up and studied it for a moment. Charlie must have been around five years old when it was taken. They all had a huge smile on their faces and if she looked really close she thought she could make out a tent in the background. They must have been camping.

"They look happy, don't they?" Megan's voice startled her a bit.

"Yeah, they do." She put the picture down again. "I met her a few times." Megan looked at her. "Charlie's mother…before she got sick." She explained.

"I bet she was nice."

"She was. And she was so much like Charlie."

"Really? Who knew there were two of them?"

Amita chuckled. "Yeah, who knew?"

Megan kept her eyes on her. "You really like him, don't you?"

"I do." Her smile faded to a more serious expression on her face. "You know, right? About what happened to me?" Megan nodded.

"I know."

"I thought so." Megan didn't say anything letting Amita continue with what she wanted to say." I told Charlie about it."

"Yeah?"

"Mmm…I never though I could talk about it again, but I'm glad I did. This is probably going to sound silly but when I'm with Charlie he makes me forget. Sometimes several hours can pass without me even thinking about it."

"I'm glad to hear that. He's a good friend."

"Yes, he is."

"Amita, if you ever need anything…you know where to find me." Amita gave her a sad smile and nodded. Megan squeezed her upper arm gently before moving in the direction of the bathroom.

"Megan?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

123123123123123123123123123123

It was really late by the time the four FBI agents finally decided to call it a night. Alan, who got home about two hours ago, went upstairs as soon as they left leaving Charlie and Amita alone downstairs.

The TV was on but neither on of them was really watching anything. Charlie kept changing the channel and Amita, who was sitting next to him, had to struggle to keep her eyes open.

"I should get going before I fall asleep." She uttered the words but never moved a muscle.

"You are too tired." Charlie looked at her. "You can take my bed and I'll sleep in Don's room." She had her eyes closed until she heard the word "bed" forming on his lips.

She turned her head still trying to keep her eyes open. She was only sitting a few inches away from him and she could definitely feel his warm breath on her face.

"I don't want to throw you out."

"You're not." he took her by the hand and together they managed to stand up, walk out of the living room, up the stairs, down the hall and finally in through the door to his bedroom. She'd actually never been in there before but she was way too tired to snoop around now.

"Wait here and I'll get you some clean sheets." She heard Amita protest and mumbling something about being too tired to make the bed.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's fine just as it is." She yawned.

"Okay. I'll…I'll get you something to sleep in." She placed herself on the edge of the bed and started rubbing her eyes with her hands while Charlie walked to the closet and took out one of his shirts. He put it down on the bed next to her without a word; just a smile which she willingly returned.

"Thanks Charlie."

"No problem. I'll be just across the hall if you need me."

He turned around and headed for the door but his name on her lips made him stop. His hand was resting on the handle as he turned his head to look at her.

"Do you have to go?" She asked silently. Charlie didn't know what she was saying. Did she want him to sleep in here…with her…in his bed? Together?

She noticed the confused look on his face. "I just…I don't want to sleep alone tonight. Can't you stay?"

He let go of the door handle and walked back to her. He moved the shirt that he recently had put on the bed and seated himself beside her. "I can stay if you want me to."

She licked her lips and stared at him. "I want you to." She whispered.

* * *

**To be continued...**


	9. Chapter 9

His bare arm was resting around her waist as he held her close to his warm body. Quite unaware of it of course. Amita must have been awake for at least twenty minutes by now and she had no intention of moving away from the comfort Charlie was providing. It had been a while since she was this close to someone and she sure had missed it.

The sun was barely peeking in through the curtains and it was still kind of dark in his room when it suddenly occurred to her what happened last night. She'd actually slept with Charlie. Well, not slept as in…had sex with him. All they did was share a bed but still...she'd slept with Charlie.

A smile found its way to her lips and she closed her eyes to savour the feeling of his chest against her back and his breath on her neck.

She must have lied there for ten more minutes until she felt him move.

"Amita?" Hearing his quiet and tired voice this close to her ear almost gave her goosebumps.

"Schh." She silenced him. "I'm sleeping." She whispered and her smile grew even wider as she realized his arm was still around her.

"Liar." She giggled. "Did you sleep well?"

"Best sleep I've had in a long time." She admitted.

"Glad to hear that."

She turned around to lie on her back. Charlie on the other hand didn't move from his position on the side. He didn't even pull his arm away but kept it on her stomach just below her breast as if it belonged there. He supported his head with his other hand and looked down on the woman lying beside him.

Lying on her back gave Amita a much better view of his room. Her eyes wandered from left to right as she memorized where he kept all of his things. A Rubik's Cube, chalks, more papers and his bag were lying on top of his desk, there was another one of his black boards in the corner (covered with notes of course), his bookshelf was filled with mathematical books and magazines and the walls were partly covered with diplomas he had gotten when he finished school. It was the first time she was here but she didn't have that feeling of unfamiliarity, like she didn't belong here. Every inch of this room reminded her of him and why she was here in the first place. It felt like home.

"See anything you like." He asked when he noticed her wandering gaze. He was fully aware she was inspecting his room; he just wanted to let her know he knew that.

"I'm just looking. I like your room."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, it's exactly how I pictured it to be."

"You have been picturing my room?" She shrugged which caused him to smirk. "Do you mind me asking what else you've been picturing?"

"You can ask…" she turned to look at him "…but I'm not telling." She said smiling when she saw his disappointment.

Amita closed her eyes still feeling a little tired from waking up earlier than usual. With Charlie lying next to her she felt she could relax. It was Sunday so it wasn't like they had anywhere to be today anyway.

"Not even if I ask nicely." She heard him say.

She let out soft laugh. He just didn't give up. "Not even."

They lied in silence for a couple of minutes until she felt Charlie making patterns on her stomach with his thumb. She opened her eyes and turned her head to the side so she could see him. His head was resting on his pillow and he too had closed his eyes. For a minute she wasn't sure if he even realized what his gentle touch was doing to her.

Still looking at him she took her hand out from under the cover and placed it on top of his. His eyes flew open the moment he felt her soft skin land on his and it took him a moment to figure out if he was dreaming or not.

She didn't know how long it took for him to make the next move but the second his hand came to rest on her cheek she softly leaned into his touch. He slowly dipped his head down and came just a little bit nearer. Their noses touched slightly letting her know they could stop at any minute if she wanted to. But she wasn't ready to stop.

It didn't take long before their lips met in a slow kiss. It was a quick one and when he came up for air he looked for any regret in her eyes. He couldn't find any.

He was only a few inches away from her face and he swallowed hard when he felt her fingers play with his hair in the back of his neck. Amita smiled when she felt him shiver under her touch and she carefully pulled his head back down to her.

The second kiss was longer and much braver than the first one. He traced her bottom lip with his tongue before she couldn't take it any more and finally let him in. The kiss deepened and their breaths became short and rapid. When he heard her moan into his mouth he pulled her even closer, if that was possible.

He was amazed when he felt her hands on his back under his shirt caressing his sensible skin and he started to kiss his way from her lips, down her jawline and finally found a nice spot on her neck which made her moan even louder.

If he only knew how much she wanted him right now. She wanted to savour this moment, remember his uniquely smell, the feel of his tongue on her neck and every other pleasurably things he did or was about to do to her.

His hand had found its way down to her naked thigh and was currently moving just a little bit higher. That's when it hit her. If she didn't stop him right now he would see her. Naked. Was she ready for that?

She felt his hand slip under the shirt onto her bare stomach very close to the mark she had lived with for five years now.

"Charlie, wait." She said and he could clearly hear the fear in her voice. In pure panic she took a hold of his wrist and pulled it out of the shirt, away from her skin and away from her scar. "I can't do this. I'm sorry." She sat up and pulled the shirt down as much as she could to cover her up.

"Amita, it's okay. I shouldn't have done this. I wasn't thinking."

"It wasn't your fault. I...I got scared that's all." She couldn't look him in the eyes. Not after this. One minute ago she'd made out with Charlie and now she acted like a crazy woman. She could only imagine how he felt.

She was shaking but instinctively pulled away when she saw Charlie reach for her hand in the corner of her eyes. "Can I use the shower?" She asked and was still trying to avoid his hurt gaze.

"Sure…of course." He answered her silently. He wasn't going to ask her anything. She probably needed to be alone for a moment to collect her thoughts. And if she wanted to talk about it later he would be there for her; listening and comforting as much as he could.

The cold water hit her warm skin as she stood in one of the house's two bathrooms. "Damn." She muttered under the jets of water. She leaned her forehead against the tile in front of her and supported herself with her hands. She hadn't meant for this to happen. Not now, not ever and definitely not to Charlie. She loved him. Why was she doing this? To him…to herself?

Amita took the shampoo off the shelf and started to lather her long wet hair. She drew a deep breath through her nose and realized that even the shampoo reminded her of Charlie. It smelled just like him and for a moment there they were back in bed; kissing and touching each other. Feeling him so close to her was a feeling she wasn't even going to try to describe.

When she was finished she stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel Charlie had given her around herself. She got dressed, said some encouraging words to her reflection in the mirror and walked back to his bedroom.

* * *

**To be continued...**


	10. Chapter 10

"Hi." Amita was standing in the doorway to his room. Her hair was still wet from her recent shower and water was slowly dripping down from her black curls onto her shirt. But she didn't seem to care.

Charlie greeted her the same silent way and watched her take some careful steps further into his now lighter room. The truth was he hadn't been able to sit still after she'd left. He had to do something and it was a good thing he was creative. He'd pulled up the blinds to keep the dark away, he made the bed (something he normally never did) and the papers he had put sloppy on top of the desk yesterday were now piled up nicely.

The shirt she had borrowed from him the previous night was in her hand and Amita put it down gently on top of the bed before she looked up again. Not until then she became aware of the different surrounding.

"Have you been cleaning?" She asked and glanced around the room.

"What?" She pointed hastily at the stack of papers and the bed. "Oh…um…yeah." He confessed. Amita just nodded and sat down on the white bedspread that covered his bed.

"Thanks for the loan by the way." She said referring to the shirt.

"You're welcome."

"And…" She took a deep breath. "…I'm sorry I just left." She apologized silently.

"It's okay." He toyed with a pen that recently had lain on his desk. A nervous habit he picked up during his first year at Princeton. It was something he always did when he had to talk in front of the class or any other group of people for that matter.

Charlie walked up to join her on the bed, not too close though afraid that she didn't want him near her right now. "Amita…" she responded to her name by looking up and catching his gaze. "…are you okay?" Stupid question but what else could he say.

"I just…I think I got scared." She admitted and noticed how the expression on his face changed from worried and confused to worried and guilty. "But I'm fine now." Charlie wasn't too convinced by that statement.

"You want to talk about it?"

"No." Was her quick and definite response.

"Amita, you just told me you got scared. If I did something wrong you can tell me."

She sighed. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then what is it?"

"It's nothing. Listen, I'm fine now so let's just move on."

"I can't do that Amita."

"God Charlie, why do you always have to do this?" Her voice was slightly higher now than it had been a couple of minutes ago. She wasn't screaming but the tone indicated she was slightly irritated.

"Do what?"

"Fix things. Why can't you just leave it alone?"

"Because you mean too much to me. I know you probably don't want to hear this right now but I care about you and when you're not feeling well, then _I'm_ not feeling well either." She sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly. When she let her hand fall back down he surprised her by moving closer and take her hand in his. He was very relieved she didn't pull away again. "Talk to me." His request was silent but firm.

He gave her a couple of seconds to figure out what to do. If she still didn't want to talk about it, then fine, he wasn't going to force it out of her.

She had her eyes focused on their joined hands in her lap and he could tell she was trying to find the words. A few more seconds passed by until she took a deep breath and opened her mouth. "I don't want you to see my scar."

"Your scar?" He let the knowledge of her fear sink in. Her scar? That's what she'd been afraid of? "Amita, look at me." He told her gently and gave her a small smile when she did what he asked. "Don't you ever think even for one second that I don't want to be with you because of a scar. I fell in love with _you_ and I don't care if you so had twelve toes and three arms." He smiled when she let out a small laugh. "I wouldn't love you any less than I do right now." He finished.

He gave her a moment to absorb his words.

"I wish it was that simple, but it's not just a scar Charlie…It's a constant reminder of that night…of _him_…and I don't want to have him near me, even if it's just in my head, when I'm supposed to be with you. When I'm supposed to be happy." She felt her eyes water but she didn't let the tears fall.

"You can still be happy." She turned her head away. "No Amita look at me." He requested again and was glad she didn't put up a fight. "That scar is a sign that your body has healed. Okay? Now, it's your mind's turn and that's why I'm here. That's why I can't leave anything alone. You are going to make it through this and I will be right by your side. We'll do it together. Okay?"

She gave him a sad nod. "Okay." She whispered. "I guess I just need a little time."

"I'm not going anywhere." He reassured her.

"Thank you…and…" She leaned in closer. "…I love you too." She whispered before she kissed him softly on the lips.

"So…" he started when she pulled back again. The idea was to say something to change the subject but he had trouble finding out what.

"So…?"

"Um…are you hungry?" he asked when he realized they hadn't had breakfast yet.

"Actually, yes."

"Great! What are you up for?"

"Hm…pancakes." Came her immediate reply.

"Again? What's with you and pancakes?" he asked and pulled her with him when he rose from the bed.

"Yours are so good. But I don't get it. How do you make them so juicy?" She asked and was very glad about the quick change of subject.

"If I told you that, I'd have to kill you." He asked and gave her a serious look.

She laughed and remembered the time he helped Don with the "assassination-case". He'd said that exact thing to her when she'd asked him wherefrom he had learned everything.

"Don't want that now, do we?" She teased.

"No, I've always liked you better with a pulse."

Their playful conversation continued as they walked down the stairs towards the kitchen.

123123123123123123123123123123

Charlie studied her while he sat facing her on the other side of the table. Neither one of them had uttered a word since they sat down with their plates a couple of minutes ago. Guess both of them were hungry.

Amita had a specific way of eating her pancakes he had discovered. She would sprinkle some sugar on top of the pancake before she would roll it, cut it into two pieces and eat them with her hands. Not once had he seen her eat them any other way.

"What?" She asked when she couldn't stand him staring at her any longer.

"Nothing. I'm just admiring your way of eating pancakes."

"Something wrong with how I eat?"

"No, I just wonder how you never get sticky hands with all that sugar."

"Oh. Well…you should see me when I have syrup instead. _Then_ we can talk about sticky." He laughed at her quick reply.

"I can only imagine."

"Good morning you two." Alan's greeting got their attention focused elsewhere.

"Good morning dad."

"Hi Mr Eppes."

"Amita, I noticed you stayed the night." He said and winked at Charlie who simply rolled his eyes. Amita saw it too and smiled. Alan, always the matchmaker.

"Yeah, I did."

"I guess it got pretty late huh?"

"Mm...Charlie wouldn't let me leave." She joked. If Alan could tease Charlie so could she. Besides it was kind of fun to see him squirm and the look he gave her was just priceless.

"Really?" Alan raised his eyebrows and looked at his youngest son.

"Dad, don't you have someplace else to be."

"Fine Charlie, I can take a hint." He raised his hands in surrender. "He always gets so nervous when I talk to his girl." His last sentence was directed at Amita.

"Dad!"

"Fine, I'm gone." He said and disappeared into the kitchen.

Amita was laughing quietly when she saw the look on Charlie's face. "Charlie wouldn't let me leave?" He repeated Amita's exact words which made her grin even wider. Charlie too had a hard time not to laugh.

"Well, you wouldn't." She smirked. "But if it makes you feel better, I'm glad that I stayed." She told him with a more serious tone and laid her hand on top of his.

"Yeah?"

He gave him a sincerely nod. "Yeah…it gave us a chance to talk."

"It did, didn't it?"

"Mm…and I meant what I said before. It was the best sleep I've had in a long time." She admitted and continued to eat the rest of her remaining pancakes.

Charlie continued to look at her while she took one bite after another. She looked so beautiful and relaxed that he honestly couldn't help it. She was everything he always wanted and longed for.

He thought back at the time she confided her past to him. So much had changed since that day. They had had a few dates; they had talked, kissed, made out and even said I love you to one other and nothing had felt more right. They didn't even have to discuss it cause…really, what was there to discuss? I mean, you either love someone or you don't and for the two of them the answer was just evident.

He didn't know how long he kept his gaze lingered on her but when Amita looked up again he pretended to go back to his food on the not so empty plate in front of him. But he couldn't fool her. She knew he had been eyeing her the whole time and now she just couldn't erase that smile she had on her lips. Only one thought came to her in that moment. Maybe life was finally good again.

* * *

**To be continued...**


	11. Chapter 11

Another few weeks of happy moments and torturing paperwork had passed by in Amita's and Charlie's normally busy life. It was now Saturday night, the sun had just set and the house was empty after successfully convincing his father to go and have a poker night with some of his friends. Charlie's convincing argument had been something like: "When was the last time you went out and had a good time with your friends?" And then Charlie made the honest mistake to volunteer and do the dishes after dinner, you know, just to get him out of the way a little faster. Like expected, that made Alan a bit suspicious but in the end Charlie managed to get him out of the house without giving away too much information.

Truth to be told Charlie had a slight ulterior motive. He wanted to spend an evening alone with Amita without interruptions.

It wasn't really a date they were having since Charlie unfortunately had to finish some of Larry's paperwork. Amita was just coming over to help him with it. Not that he made her do it or anything, Amita was happy to help him out. Besides how long could it take for two very smart people to go over papers from two classes?

Later that night both of them laid together on the soft couch in the living room; Amita slightly on top of him with her head resting on his chest. With Charlie playing with the soft ends of her long hair Amita thought she was going to fall asleep any minute now.

"Charlie?" She kept her eyes closed as she silently said his name into his shirt.

"Mm."

"You asleep?"

"Not anymore." He joked with a deep voice that indicated that he too had been close to fall asleep.

"Sorry." She apologized and smiled. "I take it you are as tired as I am." She said and moved a little when she felt her arm ache a little. Lying on top of it wasn't really the best position for her but she was too tired and too close to Charlie to want to get up.

"You could say that. I can't believe I was tricked into doing Larry's paperwork."

"You weren't tricked." Amita mumbled into his chest. She shifted a little bit and crawled further up his body. "As I recall…" She said as she placed her head in the hollow of his neck. "…you promised him that you would go through his students work for him if he ever asked Megan out on a second date."

"Yeah, but I never thought he was actually going to do it." He said and moved his hand from her hair down to the small of her back.

"Yeah, he can be slightly..."

"Annoying?" Charlie finished her sentence and he heard Amita let out a quiet laugh. Her warm breath was tickling him in a way that made it hard for him to concentrate.

"I was going to say unpredictable but I guess that works too." She said and made Charlie smile. "But I am happy he asked her out though. Even if we were stuck doing his work. They are so cute together."

"Larry? Cute? Yeah, I'm not sure I even want to go there." She chuckled and hit him playfully in the stomach.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, sorry. Speaking of Megan, you two have been talking a lot lately."

"I guess." She said and paused. They had actually become a bit closer since they had had that talk the other week. "She's a good friend and I don't have a lot of close friends that I can talk to about...well about girl stuff." She said and started to kiss his bare neck. Charlie cleared his throat.

"Girl stuff?" he managed to ask. "What kind of stuff is that?" Her lips were still on his neck and he could tell she was smiling against his sensitive skin.

"Why do you ask?" She wanted to know.

"No reason."

"I don't believe you."

"You're calling me a liar?" He said and slipped his hand under her shirt. He really enjoyed her soft skin beneath his hand.

The feeling he gave her sent a shiver down her spine and made her arms break out in goosebumps. She lifted herself, threw one leg over him and straddled his lap. "You want to know if we talk about you, don't you?" She said as she supported herself with her hands on both sides of his head. Their faces were merely inches away and she glanced down on him with a smirk. His gaze wandered occasionally from her eyes and landed on her lips.

"No…no…well…do you?" Amita let out a soft laugh and lowered her head to his neck again. She nipped his skin just below his right ear before she traced his jawline closer to her goal.

"A girl never tell." She whispered against his slightly opened mouth. Their lips brushed gently in an almost kiss and suddenly Charlie had a hard time to think about anything else than the woman sitting in his lap.

She was teasing him and he knew it. His hands had landed on her hips when she had straddled him and they kept her in place as he lifted his head a little bit to fully capture those gorgeous lips. Amita had no objections whatsoever.

They shared a very passionate kiss, tongues battled for control without anyone winning, or maybe both of them were. They were completely lost in each other and in their touches that they probably wouldn't even notice an earthquake if one would shake Los Angeles right now.

Amita, who had moved one hand further down his body, did what Charlie had done to her only a minute ago and slipped it under his shirt. He drew in a deep breath and moaned quietly into her mouth when he felt her stroke his bare stomach. His body screamed for more while his mind kept asking if they shouldn't find a less active thing to do.

Minutes with limit access to air finally broke them apart. Amita stared down at him lying beneath her. He was out of breath (as was she), pupils were dilated and the heat had made his cheeks flush. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes to collect his thoughts.

"We should stop." He told her afraid they were starting something they wouldn't be able to finish. It wouldn't be the first time that happened.

"I know." She silently agreed.

Charlie opened his eyes again and for a while they just stared at each other. Amita kept her position on top of him and she had really no intention of moving away just yet. Their breathings were almost back to normal when the sound of the front door closing made them break eye contact.

Don stopped as soon as he saw his brother and Amita lying together on the couch in a…you could say awkward position. She was after all straddling him and only a few seconds ago they had been kissing.

"Whoa, sorry." He said and tried to look away. To find his brother like this with his girl was not exactly how he wanted to begin this already bad night.

"Don? What are you doing here?" Charlie asked with a hint of panic in his voice. Amita hurried herself of off Charlie. She stood up and straightened out her wrinkled clothes before she sat down on the couch again. This time a little further away from Charlie. She couldn't help the slight blush that coloured her cheeks.

"Um…I didn't mean to interrupt anything?" Don apologized and let his eyes wander between the two of them.

"No…no…you didn't interrupt anything." He didn't know why he said that, Don had obviously every reason not to believe him. You didn't have to be stupid to know there had been something going on between Amita and him. "Um…what's up?"

"I'm sorry." He apologized again. "I wouldn't have come here if it wasn't important."

"You got a case?" Charlie changed the subject to Don's relief.

"Yeah." He walked across the room and took a seat in the armchair next to the couch. "This week four women have been found dead in their kitchen." He said with a serious tone and handed the files to his brother who opened them only to wrinkle his face in disgust. "The killer sliced their wrists as if to make it look like a suicide." Don continued.

"How can you be sure it's not?" Charlie asked without taking the eyes off the pictures.

"First of all; their appearance. They're all brunettes with brown eyes."

"They almost look identical." Amita who had silently been listening and observing the two brothers decided to participate in the conversation.

"Exactly." Don agreed. "And by talking to their families we learned they all lived perfectly happy lives. They had no reason to kill themselves. There were no suicide letters at the scenes which is pretty common to find beside people who committed suicide."

"So, you're thinking serial killer?" Don nodded in agreement. "Got any suspects?" Charlie kept his eyes on the pictures as he continued to ask questions. If Don wanted his help on this he had to know every single detail.

"No one yet. But there is something that just doesn't seem right about this."

"What do you mean?" Charlie looked up from the files for the first time.

"If someone went after you with a knife…what would you do?"

"Fight back." Amita responded with a firm voice and realized how familiar all this sounded.

Don nodded. "And we couldn't find any defensive marks on any of them."

"Okay, that's odd."

"Yeah, we should know more when the blood analyse comes back."

Charlie looked at his brother. "You're thinking they were drugged." He stated as if he could read his mind.

"Well, right now I'm not ruling anything out."

"Right. So, what exactly do you want me to do here?"

"Do you remember a few years ago when you helped us locate that...that serial rapist."

"Yeah, I remember." That was a tuff case that almost made him doubt himself and his ability to solve the case.

"Do you think you can do something similar?"

Charlie scanned the content of the files. "There isn't much to go on here but I can run my equation to try and find a hot zone and a common place for his victims."

"You mean the place where the killer meets them?" Don asked.

"Right."

"That would be great. Thanks. I really appreciate it." Don stood up from the chair and headed for the door. "I'm going back to the office but call me if you find something."

"I will."

"Oh and by the way…" Don said and stopped in the middle of the doorway. "I'm happy for you two."

Charlie and Amita smiled at him. "Thanks Don."

* * *

**AN: In his chapter I decided to give our two favourite brothers a case to solve because…well that's what they do best. So, tell me what you thought about it.**

**Also, the next chapter should be up in a day or so. I'm almost finished with it.**


	12. Chapter 12

"Don!" The doors to the elevator opened up to a very busy office; people were running around at a rapid pace on the hard floor, others were trying to calm down worried relatives over the phones and even the distinguish sound of typing indicated that no one was ready to go home yet.

It began just like any other week of the year. Monday was an unusual quiet day but it turned out to be the calm before the storm. When the Tuesday came, the first victim was found. She was in her early twenties, single with a strong bond to her family and friends and had recently moved to LA to follow her dreams of becoming an actress. Her death was believed to be a suicide, something her family strongly disagreed with.

By the third victim they started to see a pattern and suddenly the suicides weren't suicides anymore. Reporters with their camera crews started to gather in front of the victims' home addresses. They called him the Suicider; a mix between the words murderer and suicide. Wonder what genius came up with that idea?

Megan saw Don immediately where he stood by his desk looking just as busy as everybody else with a cup of stimulating coffee in one hand and a ton of papers in the other one. Some folders were even tucked in under his right armpit as he glanced over his shoulder at the sound of his name. "I got your page. We have a fifth victim?" Megan continued when she knew she had his attention.

"Yeah." He tried his best not to drop any papers onto the floor as he struggled to put them down on his desk. Luckily Megan was there to help. Standing here and sort papers was not an option when they had a murderer to catch. His thanks were met with a smiling nod before he handed her one of the brown folders that luckily lay at the top of the pile. "Her neighbour found her an hour ago." He told her as she took it from him.

"Is it the same killer?"

"Looks like it. We know more when we get there."

"That's five people in less than a week." She said and looked up from behind the papers. "Who the hell is this guy?"

Don sighed and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to take the tiredness away. "I don't know. I got Charlie to try and find the place where the killer might choose his victims."

"That's good. He has often right so let's just cross our fingers and work with what we got until then." Megan looked up at her friend again. "How are you holding up?" She asked gently when she noticed his stressed face and tired posture.

"Me? I'm fine." Why he was lying to a very smart and attentive FBI agent who had an eye for details he had no idea. He even felt her studying him; how her eyes wandered from head to toe didn't go him unnoticed. Wrinkled clothes, the bags under his eyes and the smell of a man who hadn't taken a shower in three days. The signs were there, all she needed to do was interpret them.

"No you're not, you look terrible." He let out a snort of laughter. "When was the last time you slept?"

He pretended to think about it. "Hmm…Let's see, what day is it again?"

Megan chuckled. "You should go home, get some rest."

"Not until this is solved." He sighed and looked at her again, and this time he really looked. He didn't know why he, a trained investigator, hadn't seen it when she first entered the room. "What about you? I don't recall you ever wear a dress to work."

"That's because I don't. I was actually on a date when you paged me."

"Oh yeah? Hope he wasn't too upset that you had to leave early."

"Nah…He's a pretty understanding guy."

"Yeah? Anyone I know?" He asked with a smirk.

"Only if you know a certain physicist that is working side by side with your brother."

"Larry?" Don's eyes widen and suddenly he wasn't feeling all that tired anymore. "He finally asked you out again, huh?"

Megan was about to respond when the elevator opened a second time during the last three minutes and David burst into the room holding a file in his hand. By the way he almost ran into people they could tell he had something important to share.

"I have the blood result." He said and waved the file in the air. "You were right Don. They were drugged." He said and handed him the results.

"Guess your hunch was right." Megan said.

"Guess so." Don kept his eyes on the papers until he finally looked up at his partners again. "They all had Diazepam in their systems." He said after flipping through the reports, comparing all four of them.

"He drugged them with Diazepam?" Megan's words weren't really formed as a question as much as a statement. "Isn't that prescribed to patients who suffer from anxiety?"

"Yeah…it works as a tranquilizer and symptoms of a possible overdose include sleepiness, dizziness, confusion or even difficulty of walking." Don finished.

"That could explain why he got into their houses without a fight." Megan added. "They were too drugged to even know what was happening to them."

"Yeah…and it also seems they all had alcohol in their bloodstream." He concluded.

"Maybe that's how he met them." David concluded. "In a bar."

"Searching every place that serves alcohol in the entire Los Angeles area would certainly take a while." Megan said with a tad of disappointment in her voice.

"Well, Charlie's equation should tell us more about where to look, but for now…" Don said and put the files down on his desk among the others before he turned to face his co-workers again. "…let's check out our newest crime scene. We might have a fifth victim."

123123123123123123123123123123

"How's it going Charlie?" Amita asked as she sat by the paper-covered dinner table. She had actually been sitting there for a while, occasionally observing him ever since he started the program about twenty minutes ago.

"Hm?" Charlie peeked up from behind the computer screen.

"Is it working?"

"Oh…I'm still running the equation but it looks like it."

"That's good."

She glanced down on the papers again. The pictures made her feel a little nauseous but she couldn't take her eyes off of them. Not one of the women looked like she'd even turned thirty yet. Some of them could even be younger than she was.

"You okay?" Charlie asked after a while when he caught the expression in her eyes.

"Yeah…it's just…there's so much blood." She said never leaving the photos with her eyes.

"You shouldn't be looking at those."

"I'm fine Charlie. It's not like it's the first time I'm helping you with a case like this."

"I know, I'm sorry." It was true, she had helped him before with similar cases, but it was different now that he knew about…well everything. "You'll tell me if there's something bothering you, right?" He had to make sure.

"You'll be the first to know." She promised and smiled to make it more obvious to him that she really meant it.

Charlie's cellphone rang only a moment later. Amita watched him struggle with getting it out of the front pocket in his jeans. After five or six signals and a couple of sighing-sounds he made it easier for himself and stood up from his chair. The phone was in his hand a second later and he was finally able to answer it.

"_Hi Charlie it's me."_ He heard Don's voice on the other line.

"Hi Don. If you're calling about my calculations they aren't finished yet."

"_It's not that. Listen, we just discovered a fifth body."_

"O my god." Charlie sat down again. "Is it the same killer?"

"_We believe so."_

"Okay…um…I need some information like where her house is located or how she spent her days, you know, stuff like that. I have to run that in the computer as well to get a more accurate area."

Don spoke as Charlie scribbled the most important things onto a piece of paper and Don promised to email him the rest after talking to the victim's family. He hung up the phone and placed it onto the table; that way it would be within reach in case he got another phonecall.

"The found another body." He told Amita who had been waiting for him to say something. "They think it's the same guy."

123123123123123123123123123123

Back from the crime scene Don gathered the agents who were currently working the case in one of the adjoining rooms. It had turned out as they suspected. The killer had struck again and by comparing every five crime scenes he didn't seem to have changed anything in his behaviour. Right now Don wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

"Okay guys, what do we know so far?" He said and stepped into his leading role. He studied the note board in front of him while the other agents behind him began to go through their notes in order to get some perspective.

"Only female victims with brown hair and brown eyes." Colby started. "The killer obviously preferred a certain type of woman."

"The positions of the bodies never changes. The crimes are committed in the kitchen since we found no evidence of the bodies ever being moved. Every scene is practically identical. He places the body on the floor, puts the bloody knife beside her and leaves the house without ever being seen." Megan continued.

"We found shoeprints outside three of the houses and they all seem to come from the same type of shoes. All we need is something to compare them with. We also found evidence of blood on the doorknob in the last victim's house. Same blood was also found on the knife he used to kill the victim." David spoke sounding like a true investigator. "It's possible that he cut himself on the knife while ending her life."

Don turned around to face the group. "Okay. He's getting sloppy, that's good for us. What else is there?" He said and took up the folder containing his own notes. "The victims' alcohol levels also indicate that it's possible they could have met the killer in a bar. He slips something into their drinks, waits until they are feeling helpless and then offers them a ride home where he finally commits the act. We have also estimated the time of the murders to be between 2.00 AM and 3.00 AM."

"So, where do we go from here?" Colby asked after a while to break the silence that had suddenly joined them in the room.

"I think I can answer that." Charlie said as he and Amita plopped into the room with their always impeccable timing. "I have the result of my calculations right here…" he started and pinned a map to the board. "According to my equation it's a high probability that the killer chooses his victims in this specific area." He explained and pointed at the coloured surface in the middle of the map. He didn't bother to elaborate since he already knew they were in a rush to find this guy.

"You sure?" Don asked.

"99,5 percent."

"Good enough for me." He said and turned to the people in the room again. "Okay, I want you to visit every bar, every pub and every other places that serve alcohol in this particularly area. Ask if they have had any regulars this week and show pictures of the victims and see if anyone recognizes them." As he spoke the agents started to gather their things and were ready to leave. "If you see anything out of the ordinary I want you to report it immediately. We don't know if he plans another kill tonight which only gives us until the end of the day to find him."

* * *

**AN: I know there wasn't much Amita/Charlie in this chapter but I promise that there will be more of that later.**


	13. Chapter 13

The sun glared down from a cloudless sky as Amita and Charlie left the FBI building later that morning. They had just provided Don and his team with what they hoped would turn out to be useful information and were currently heading for Charlie's car.

It had been a long night consisting mostly of numbers and calculations rather than sleep and by now both of them could feel the unavoidable tiredness getting closer and closer. The warm sunbeams hit their faces as they continued their way towards their destination on the other side of the parking lot. Why he'd parked so far away from the entrance she had no idea, but she wasn't complaining. The fresh air helped her clear her head after the hardworking night and at least it took some of the weariness away.

Occasionally she turned her head towards the man walking beside her and discovered that the words forming in her throat vanished into thin air every time she opened her mouth to speak. _Did she really want to bother him with more of her troubles? Again?_

She looked at him once more, feeling a very small but very real smile forming on her lips. If it was even possible, the morning sunlight and twenty-six hours without sleep made him look even sexier. His unshaved cheek, the glistening eyes, his casual stile...his hair. It definitely was a look that suited him. Her gaze wandered over his moving body and she found herself trying to make mental notes of everything he did; from the way he carried his bag to the way he walked.

_Okay, back to reality_.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and focused her gaze on the pavement below her tired feet. Unfortunately reality wasn't much of a happy place at the moment. The unpleasant photographs returned instantly into her head and she could not more than try to get rid of them.

"Are you okay?" He asked after feeling her gaze linger on his left cheek for what felt like the sixth time in the last five minutes.

"What? Why do you ask?"

"Well, you have wanted to say something for a while now. I can tell when you have something on your mind."

His words for some reason made her look away.

"What's wrong?" He asked again with the softest voice she had ever heard him use.

She glanced at him; there was no reason to lie. He could read her like an open book. "Nothing…I was just…thinking." She said and sighed.

"About what?"

She bit her bottom lip and watched the car come closer with every step they took. "Do you think they'll find him?" She finally asked, knowing she was only looking for that little hope she knew she was missing.

After seeing the photos and reading about their deaths on a small piece of white wrinkled paper all night long she couldn't help feeling sympathy for the victims and their families. It could easily have been her and it could easily have been her relatives standing in the gloomy police house, talking to one cop after another when trying to find an explanation to what had happened.

"Yeah I do." His simple answer took her by surprise and she turned her head to her right and looked at him.

"Really?" He caught the uncertainty and the doubts in her gaze and God know she had a reason for having it there. "Cause I mean…what if he changes methods or…or what if he disappears. I mean it's all over the news so it wouldn't be a surprise if he moves to another town or…"

A few steps closer to their destination he silenced her by grasping her hand ever so gently and entwined his fingers with hers. "Do you want to know why I believe that?" He didn't expect her to answer and continued before she had a chance to reply. "Ever since Don and I were kids, Don has always been the one who had to look after himself; never getting the same attention as I did…and…" He took a deep breath. "…and for a long time I felt responsible for that…like I was holding him back or something." He paused to try and find the right words.

"But now I realize that I was wrong. Everything Don has accomplished in life he has done because he himself wanted to and not because other people have interfered by telling him what he should or should not do. He became a FBI agent because it felt right to him." He smiled like only a proud younger brother could do. "And look at him now; risking his own life for strangers because he believes it's the right thing to do. And that makes him a damn good agent."

He stopped and pulled her just a little bit closer. His recently free hand grabbed hers and he held both of her hands in front of him as he looked into her eyes. "And that's why I think they will get him." She gave him a small smile combined with a sad little nod.

Her hands were still resting in his which made it quite easier for Charlie to pull her even closer than before and capture those lips with his own in a soft reassuring kiss. The kiss ended and Amita rested her forehead against his as they both waited for someone to speak.

"Feel better? Charlie said and was the one who broke the silence.

"A little…thanks." He gave her an understanding nod.

While looking around she found herself only a few inches away from the car they had reached without her even realizing it. Reluctantly she let go of his hands and went to the other side of the car; to the passenger's side. Behind her she could hear the distinguish jangle of keys as Charlie fished them out of his pocket and slipped the right one into the lock.

"What do you want to do now?" He asked her once they were seated in the hot car. Leaving it in direct sunlight turned out to be a very bad idea.

"Actually, I'm kind of beat. I think I just want do go home, grab a shower and sleep for twelve hours."

He smiled at her. "I know exactly how you feel."

123123123123123123123123123123

It was late afternoon and Don was just coming out from yet another pub when his cellphone rang and vibrated in his pocket. Reaching for it he silently prayed for some good news. After visiting one place after another all day long he was getting more and more frustrated with the fact he wasn't getting anywhere with this case. Yeah, some good new would definitely be great.

"Eppes." He answered just as Megan joined him outside in the warm summer weather. "Is he sure?" He asked and waited for the other person to finish. "Okay, we'll be right there." He hung up and put the phone back into his breast pocket.

"The owner of a bar three blocks from here says he recognizes the photos of the victims." He told Megan and started to walk towards the car on the other side of the street.

"Finally." Megan sighed and followed him. She climbed into the passenger's seat while Don sat himself behind the wheel and together they took off towards their next destination.

123123123123123123123123123123

The place had everything it could possible need to define a bar. Liquor, pool tables, people getting drunk before sunset, the distinguish smell of cigar-smoke, a broken chair in the left corner and who could miss the big, bald guy with a moustache standing behind the bar disk with a towel tossed over his shoulder. In Don's opinion he looked more than a bodyguard than anything else.

David, who turned his head around as soon as he heard the door open, left Colby alone with the guy while he went to inform the other agents about the situation.

"Pete Davidson." He said when they were within earshot and together the three of them began to walk towards the other two men. "Has been the owner of this place since he got out of jail about two years ago after being found guilty of second degree murder."

Don looked at him. _Great, just what they needed. A man who hates cops._

"Mr Davidson." Don said out load and shook his hand. From his firm and strong handshake Don couldn't help but wonder if his strength was due to too many bar fights or if it was a result from spending too much time in the gym. Although, the man didn't quite seem like a gym-type-of-guy.

"Don Eppes FBI and this is Megan Reeves. You said you recognize these women." He said; going straight to the point. There was no room for small talk.

The man scanned the file containing pictures of five different women for the second time in the last ten minutes.

"I do…heard they were dead." He said, never showing a single emotion.

"Murdered." Colby clarified.

"Well, I can't be sure about those two…" He said and pointed at victim number two and four. "…but the other three, definitely...and she was here only two days ago." He told them referring to the latest victim.

"Can you remember if they talked to someone while they were here?" Don wondered.

He looked up at them as if trying to decide whether to tell them something or not. "They left with one of my regulars." Don gave Megan a satisfying smirk and took that as a sign to continue.

"This regular…does he have a name?" She asked.

"Like I told the other two, that's all I'm going to say. I don't give out information about my best customers. Bad for business." He answered and began drying a few glasses with the white towel. One by one he put them on the shelf behind him.

"Mr Davidson," Don started. "I understand your worry…"

"You don't understand a goddamn thing! You guys are just like everyone else."

"By everyone you mean cops?" Megan said.

"You think I'm stupid!" He continued, ignoring Megan's comment. "I spent fifteen years in prison studying the law. I know my rights and I don't have to say one damn thing to you without a warrant."

It wasn't visible to the naked eye but Don was literally boiling inside. "Let me tell you something…Pete." He said firmly and used his first name to really get his attention and to show him he was serious. "This regular of yours is a lead suspect in a homicide investigation. We can leave and come back with a warrant if that's what you want but, as you might also know, that means we can make this place a crime scene and who knows when we can return it to you."

"Is that a threat?"

"I'm simply informing you about the consequences if you choose not to cooperate with us."

Megan, Colby and David exchanged worried looks while Don and the bartender kept staring at each other over the disk and for a moment there it actually almost looked like Davidson wanted to give Don a black eye. Don's frustration became more and more evident by the second and he was not going to back down until he got what he came for.

Pete Davidson was the first one to look away and let out a snort of laughter. He wiped the towel over the already clean surface of the bar disk before he leaned against the edge of it while supporting his weight with his muscular prison-tattooed arms.

"His name is Jack." He said; hating himself for acknowledging his defeat but what else could he do? Give them his bar so they could go through his stuff? _I don't think so!_ It was bad enough they'd already stayed for ten minutes now.

"Jack?"

"Don't ask for his last name, because I have no clue." He told them as an answer to their vague question. "That's one of my rules as a bartender; if _they_ don't talk, _I_ don't ask."

"Do you think you can describe him to one of our artists?" Don continued and looked up from his notebook. It was obviously very hard for the ex-prisoner to admit he was beaten by a cop.

He bit the inside of his lip and felt the four gazes resting on him. "I think so."

**To be continued…**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi guys!!**

**I'm so sorry for the delay. I mean almost three months! I can't believe it's been that long since my last update. I've just been really busy lately. I've moved (I'm living on my own for the first time ever) and I've started a new school. Then for a while I kind of forgot about this story (sorry about that) but here is the next chapter...at long last. **

**Also one more thing. I can't even begin to tell you how much your comments means to me. I love reading those so please don't stop reviewing…ever )**

* * *

She hated nights like these. Nights when she was incredible tired but couldn't sleep at all. It was quiet. At least _now _it was. About an hour ago she had heard a couple of younger men, obviously drunk, making a lot of noise in the stairwell. After continues arguments with some of her neighbours they finally gave up and left. If only she didn't have this much trouble sleeping she would have been pleased when the silence returned. 

Another twenty-five minutes went by before she decided to give up and call it morning. She pushed the cover away and put her feet down on the cold floor. The coldness sent a shiver through her body and she quickly put the warm robe around herself. However her slippers were nowhere to be seen and she left the bedroom tiptoeing through the living room towards the kitchen.

It was just as dark as any other room in the apartment. The clock on the wall showed 3.20 and she sighed as she filled the coffee machine with water and turned it on.

Just as she sat down at the table, waiting for the coffee to be ready, she heard the distinct sound of her cellphone coming from the direction of her bedroom. At first she wasn't sure if she was hallucinating, but when the ringing wouldn't stop she rose from the chair and followed the sound to her nightstand.

_Of course, _she thought while glancing at the display. _Who else would call her in the middle of the night?_

"Charlie, you know, if I weren't already awake I would be really pissed off right now." She joked.

Charlie chuckled. "I know it's late and…" he stopped. "…wait, you were already up?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Oh…I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I didn't really expect me to sleep. I have too much on my mind."

"Yeah, I understand. That's actually why I wanted to talk to you."

"What do you mean?"

"Don called me about half an hour ago. I wasn't sure if I was going to call you or not but then I figured that maybe you wanted to know right away."

"What are you talking about? What did Don say?"

"He told me they caught the guy."

"What?" She sat down on the bed, her feet still touching the cold wooden floor. "They caught him?"

"They did." He confirmed.

"That was fast."

"Yeah. They found the bar where he used to hang out and waited for him to make a move. They caught him before he had a chance to leave with a seventeen year old girl."

"Is the girl all right?"

"She's okay. Chocked, but okay. She's in the hospital as we speak." He heard her take a deep breath. "He won't be able to hurt anyone else. It's over."

"Maybe for him it is…but what about the families? What about _their_ lives? Losing a loved one is…is…they will never get over this." Her voice was heartbreaking and Charlie wanted nothing more than run over there and tell her everything was going to be fine. He wanted to hold her, kiss her and reassure her that something like this was never going to happen to her again. Tell her that he would do anything to make sure she would never get hurt again.

"Charlie?" He snapped back to reality when she spoke again after a moment of silence.

"I'm here." He said.

"Oh, good. For a moment there I thought you hung up on me." She tried to joke.

"I wouldn't do that."

"I know…I was just kidding."

"Amita?"

"Mm"

"I'm sorry I can't do anything for you. I'm sorry that…that I can't make you feel better." She heard sadness in his voice. Sadness she was responsible for. _Damn. _She promised herself she wouldn't hurt him again and yet here she was, sitting on her bed, while history repeated itself.

"Charlie." She began. "You have no idea how much I love having you in my life. To know that someone is watching over me…to…" She felt her eyes water but no tears came. "I love you." She simply said. "And you _do_ make me feel better. You make me feel alive again and the last couple of months have been amazing…I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Yeah?" She could tell he was smiling even though se couldn't see it.

"Yeah…now, let's change the subject before I start crying."

"Good idea…I've never been very good around crying women." He smiled when she heard her small laugh. "What are you going to do now…I mean if you're not going to sleep?"

"I don't know. The coffee is probably ready soon but after that…" She trailed off. "You want to come over?"

"Now?"

"Yeah."

123123123123123123123123123123

The familiar knock on the front door still gave her Goosebumps and she left the kitchen to let him in.

She hadn't bothered to get dressed and she still wore the robe over the large blue T-shirt. She was also quite sure that her hair was a complete mess when she opened the door for him.

"Good morning." He greeted her.

"Good morning." They smiled at each other before Charlie made the first move and captured her lips with his. She tasted of mint. An indication that she'd recently brushed her teeth.

"You want some coffee?" She asked still wrapped in his arms.

"Yes please." Amita nodded before she let him go and headed towards the kitchen. She took out another cup from the cupboard and placed it next to the coffee machine. As she poured the steaming hot coffee into the white cup she heard him enter the room behind her. She didn't even flinch when she felt his arms around her waist and she closed her eyes when he kissed her bare neck and rested his head on her shoulder.

Amita put the coffee pot back where it belonged and leaned into his embrace, her hands covered his where they rested on her flat stomach. He made her feel so safe.

"I'm glad you came." She told him.

"Me too."

123123123123123123123123123123

An hour later both of them were seated on the couch in front of the TV. Of course nothing good was on this early in the morning so they decided to just sit down and enjoy each other's company for once.

"You and Don had a fight…about a girl…in the middle of your lawn?"

"Tell me again why we're having this discussion?"

"As I recall you started it by asking me about my first crush. It was only fair to me if I asked you the same question." She said with a smile on her face.

"I'm glad my embarrassing childhood amuses you." He smiled back.

Amita chuckled and hit him playfully on the arm.

"This is nice." He looked at her as she spoke. "I mean this…you and me…talking, spending time with each other. Alone."

"Yeah." He nodded. "This is nice."

He kept his eyes on her as he reached up to caress her cheek, pulling her head closer to be able to kiss her again. He loved the feeling of her soft lips pressed against his and she didn't put up any struggle when he wanted her to come closer. Still attached to his mouth she moved closer to him until they were sitting right next to each other on the couch, legs touching more than a little.

She responded to the kiss immediately and it didn't take very long for it to deepen. Their tongues met right before her hands found their way to his hair, his on the other hand was on her bare thigh since her robe had opened up, revealing her long legs.

They broke the kiss for a moment to catch their breaths but not long thereafter they were kissing again. Kissing like crazy teenagers whose parents were out of town. The only thing that could be heard in the room were the sound of their wet lips as they crashed into each other and the quiet moans coming from both of them.

When he felt Amita move beside him Charlie thought something was wrong and was about to stop. That was until he felt her body in his laps as she straddled him, her weight putting pressure in just the right spot.

"Amita." He said between kisses.

"Schh." She silenced him before moving to his neck. She left small butterfly kisses all the way down to below his right ear. "Make love to me Charlie." It was nothing more but a whisper, but it was enough to make him shiver.

She left his ear and moved to sit up, finding his cloudy eyes staring back at her. She smiled at the sight of his messy hair, knowing she was responsible for it.

His hands carefully worked the knot on her robe before pushing it of off her shoulders. It landed somewhere on the floor behind her. His eyes never left hers as he constantly searched for any regret in them.

"I want this." She told him, as if she could read his mind. She picked up one of his hands from where they rested on her hips and brought it to her mouth. He closed his eyes for a second as she gently kissed his palm. "And I want _you_." She was still whispering.

"I want you too." He told her and brought her head down to his to be able to kiss her. "So much."

His fingers reached the hem of her shirt and she lifted her arms to make it easier for him to take it off. Her exposed chest was met by the chilly air in the room but it was soon forgotten when he felt Charlie cover her erect nipple with his warm mouth. _God, she wanted him so much._

He left her breast, kissing his way down to her stomach, only stopping slightly at the sight of her pink scar. He looked at it while tracing the long mark with his index finger. He felt her take a deep breath before she placed her hand on the back of his head as he continued to leave small kisses on her stomach, showing her he wouldn't love her any less just because she had this on her belly.

**To be continued…**


	15. Chapter 15

**I guess it's time I finally finished this story. The last chapter is not long, but at least it is an ending. I really hope you have enjoyed Amitas and Charlies story, maybe you even want to read more from me in the future. Finally I just want to thank you all for the great reviews, they mean the world to me.**

* * *

She glanced at the numbers on the VCR as soon as she opened her eyes a few hours later. 11.43 AM. _Could that be right?_ _Had they really been asleep for nearly five hours?_ The feeling of the familiar arms wrapped around her delicate body, hugging her from behind, brought her back to reality. She smiled at the thought of Charlie and her, doing things she only thought happened in her fantasies. Behind her she could still feel Charlie's soft breath on her neck. The same soothing feeling had put her to sleep a few hours earlier.

They never left the couch and were now sharing the slightly uncomfortable furniture, covered by no more than a knitted blue blanket. A sore back would definitely be worth it, she thought and closed her eyes again. But not for very long.

"Amita?" The manly, very groggy, voice set of a tingling sensation through her body.

"Mmm, yes". She answered with a smile on her face.

"Just checking".

"Checking what?"

"To see if I'm dreaming or not".

Amita chuckled. "No dream, just you and me, naked in my sofa".

"Mm, good", he answered. "Very good" He responded by pulling her closer to his bare chest. "I would definitely hate to wake up and realize nothing had happened". Their naked legs intertwined, if possible, even more underneath the warm piece of fabric.

"Yeah, that would've been depressing". She took this opportunity to turn around and look at him. She loved his face in the morning, so relaxed and at ease. His face stubble was more visible than usually. Very sexy she thought as she gently stroked his cheek with her left hand.

"Yeah, that would have been a real buzzkill". They lay together in comfortable silent for what felt like forever. Amita was lying half on top of her man, head on his soft chest, hearing the regular beat of his heart. I was soothing and for a while she thought she was going to fall asleep again.

"A penny for your thoughts", she said, trying to keep herself from entering the world of dreams.

He smiled at the ceiling. "Your first day at CalSci", he answered truthfully while stroking the long black curls on her head. She waited for him to go on. "That's when I knew you know".

"Knew what?" She wanted to know when he didn't say anything for a short moment.

"That you were the one for me".

"Really?" She questioned him. "And here I thought teachers weren't allowed to have feeling for their students", she smirked. Obviously they both knew the attraction they had on each other.

"Well, technically they aren't", he continued. "But the moment you opened you mouth that first day in class…I just knew you were different".

"Oh, come on!" She pushed him playfully on the arm. "I questioned everything you said that day", she reminded him of. Charlie let out a soft chuckle.

"That's exactly how a great mind works. How are you suppose to learn anything if you never think for yourself? Do you know how many students I teach every week that simply accept what I have to say and nothing more?" She thought about it. "You have a great mind Amita, and I love you for it".

"Well…you have a great mind yourself Charlie…but I guess I don't have to remind you about that".

"Yeah… I am pretty smart aren't I?" He said teasingly. She lifted her head to be able to see him in the eyes but his gaze was still focused on a spot above his head.

"Very smart" She said while resting her chin on his chest.

"And handsome right?" He looked down on her.

Amita Chuckled. "And very handsome". She crawled up his chest with a little help from Charlie and kissed him on the lips. The kiss was soft at first but became more and more passionate as time went on.

"Thank you Charlie" She said when they broke apart.

"For what?"

"For being you".


End file.
